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T  lU  C  T  S 


ON 


THE    SABBATH 


THE  SEVENTH  DAY  IS  THE  SABBATH  OF  THE  LORD  THY  GOD- 


NEW  YORK : 

PUBLISHED  BY  THE  AMERICAN  SABBATH  TRACT  SOCIETY. 
No.  9  Spruce  Street. 

1853. 


/ 


TABLE    OF   CONTENTS 


1 . — Rea*n)iisfor  ir.lroducingtlic  Sa'ubath.  of  tlio  Fourth  Command- 
ment to  the  coiisideralioTi  oC  tho  V'lui.stuia  rublic.     'l-i  pp. 
2. — The  Sabbath:  its  Moral  Nature  and  Scriptural  Observance. 

48  pp. 
3. — The  Sabbath  :  Authority  for  tlic  Change  of  the  Day.     24  pp. 
4. — The  Sabbath  and   Lord's  Day:    A  I iistory  of  their  Observ- 
ance in  the  Ciiri;?tiau  Ciuueh.      is  po. 
5. — A  Christian  Caveat.     4  [ip. 
G. — Tuenty  J\ea^on.-=  for  keepiii^r  h-'sly,  in  eaeii  -.veek,  the  Sev- 

i-nth  Day  instead  of  tlie  i  n>t  Day.     -i  \)r.. 
T. — Thirty-:-ix  Plain  Qne^rions,  pir->eitin_^  r'ae  main  points  in  the 
Sabbarh  Con;ri)voisy  :  A  Dial('^nu' l)et\veiMi  a  Minister  of  the 
Gospel  and  a  Sabbarariau ;  Counteifeit  Coin.     S  pp. 
8. — The  Sabbath  Coiitrove!  sy  :  The  True  Issue.     4  pp. 
U. — The  Fom-^.h  Commandn.eiit :  False  Exposition.     4  pp. 
10. — T!ie  True  Sabbath  Embraced  and  Observed.     16  pp. 
11. — Religious  Liberty  EridangereJ  by  Legislative  Enactments. 

Id  pp. 
12. — Misuse  of  the  term  "Sabbath."     8  pp. 
lo. — The  Bible  Sabbath.     24  jip. 
1-1. — Delaying  Obedience.     4  pp. 

l.j. — An  Appeal  for  the  Restoration  of  the  Bible  Sabbath,  in  an 
Address  to  the  Baptists,  from  the  Seventh-day  Baptist  Gen- 
eral Conference.     3;>  pp. 
1  ti. — The  Royal  Law  contended  for.    By  Edward  Stennett.     60  pp. 
17. — Vindication  of  the  True  Sabbath.     By  J.  W.  Morton,  late 
Missionary  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church.     60  pp. 


[No.  1.] 

EEASOIS 


INTRODUCING  THE  SABBATH  OF  THE  FOURTH  COM- 
MANDMENT TO  THE  CONSIDERATION  OF 
THE  CHRISTIAN  PUBLIC. 


NEW  YORK : 

PUBLISHED  BY  THE  AMERICAN  SABBATH  TRACT  SOCIETY, 
No.  9  Spruce-Street 


REASONS 


FOR  INTRODUCING  THE  SABBATH  OF  THE  FOURTH  COMMAND- 

MENT  TO  THE  CON.'^IDERATION  OF  THE 

'  CHRISTIAN  PUHLIC. 


To  search  for  the  knowledge  of  our  duty,  as  sub- 
jects of  the  Divine  Government,  is  of  the  highest  im- 
portance to  Christians  and  to  all  men.  "  None  of  us 
liveth  to  himself,  and  no  man  dieth  to  himself,"  but 
"  whether  we  live  or  die,  we  are  the  Lord's."  It  be- 
hooves us,  therefore,  to  inquire,  diligently  and  prayer- 
fully, what  God  would  have  us  to  do,  and  how  we 
may  best  glorify  Him  and  save  our  generation  ?  We 
should  "  seek  wisdom  as  silver,  and  search  for  it  as  for 
hid  treasure ;"  and  we  should  labor  after  the  knowl- 
edge, not  only  of  so7ne  duties,  but  of  every  duty. 
*'  Obey  my  voice,"  is  the  reiterated  mandate  of  Je- 
hovah. To  give  full  proof  of  our  friendship  for  Christ, 
we  must  "  do  whatsoever  he  hath  commanded  us." 
Hence  the  importance  of  "  seai'ching  the  Scriptures," 
and  of  carefully  pondering  the  testimonies  of  God. 
All  should  pursue  this  course,  and  feel  this  responsi- 
bility ;  for  "  every  one  of  uis  shall  give  account  of 
himself  unto  God."     Hence  the  propriety  and  neces- 


4  REASONS    FOR 

sity,  in  many  cases,  of  individuals  dissenting  from  the 
views  and  decisions  of  colleciive  bodies,  and  of  ?)iinori' 
ties  dissenting  from  majorities,  and  protesting  against 
what  they  discover  to  be  erroneous,  unequal,  and  op- 
pressive, in  their  resolves  and  measures — accompany- 
ing the  same  with  a  particular  statement  of  their  rea- 
sons. Such  a  course  expresses  a  detemiination  "  not 
to  be  partakers  of  other  men's  sins,"  and  is  often  the 
means  of  leadinsr  to  investieration  and  reform. 


This  duty  is  acKnowledged,  and  this  privilege  is 
claimed,  by  the  observers  of  the  seventh  day,  in  rela- 
tion to  the  subject  of  the  Sabbath.  Compared  with 
the  many  who  assume  the  Christian  name,  we  are  a 
minority — a  mere  remnant — and  our  reasons  and  mo- 
tives for  dissent  from  the  great  mass  of  believers,  have 
been  by  most  but  partially,  if  at  all,  examined  and 
weighed.  Believing,  as  we  do,  that  we  have  a  Hill 
and  explicit  Divine  waiTant  for  our  practice,  we  re- 
gard it  as  our  duty  to  make  renewed  efforts  to  sustain 
the  claims  of  the  original  Sabbath  of  God's  appoint- 
ment, enlighten  the  public  mind,  disann  our  neighbors 
an4  fellow  Christians  of  their  prejudices,  and  promote 
a  more  thorough  and  impartial  attention  to  this  item  of 
religious  practice.  The  object  of  this  Tract  is  not  to 
enter  fully  upon  the  proois  of  our  doctrine  and  prac- 
tice, but  to  invite  attention  to  the  subject,  and  impress 
the  reader  with  the  importance  of  correct  views  and 
of  being  sustained  in  Sabbath  principles  and  efforts 
by  an  explicit  warrant  from  God  himself,  in  order  the 
more  effectually  to  secure  the  sanctification  of  tliis 
precious  institution.  Accordingly,  we  proceed  to 
state  some  of  our  Reasons  for  inti'oducing  the  Sabbath 
of  the  Fourth  Commandment  to  the  consideration  of 
the  Christian  Public. 


SABBATH    DISCUSSION.  5 

I.  The  g-encral  concession  that  the  weekly  Sahbath 
IS  a  needful,  wise,  and  valuable  institution.  Being  a 
weekly  rest  from  secular  business  and  labor,  it  con- 
ti'ibutes  to  the  health  and  vigor  both  oi'  man  and  beast, 
encourages  habits  of  cleanliness  and  decency,  gives 
opportunity  to  cultivate  the  social  virtues,  makes  man 
acquainted  with  man,  and  inspires  a  mutual  regard  for 
the  interests  of  society ;  and,  what  is  much  more,  it 
furnishes  a  proper  and  necessary  season  for  mental 
improvement,  public  worship  and  instruction,  private 
meditation  and  self-examination,  the  ti-aining  up  of 
children  in  the  knowledge  of  God  and  of  Heaven,  and 
the  deepening  of  our  impressions  of  the  value  of  time, 
and  of  the  importance  of  preparing  for  eternity.  These 
and  similar  considerations  sensibly  arrest  the  attention 
of  sober  and  enlightened  Christians,  and  secure  a  con- 
scientious regard  to  the  institution.  This  fact  evinces 
the  importance  of  being  able  to  bring  a  divine  sanc- 
tion for  a  day  so  evidently  desirable,  and  so  generally 
esteemed — of  being  assured  that  it  rests  upon  no  doubt- 
ful authority,  that  it  is  not  a  7Tiere  human  provision  or 
a  matter  of  expediency  and  accommodation,  but  that 
in  observing  it  we  are  conforming  to  the  clearly-mani- 
fested will  of  God.  It  is  evident,  that  this  considera- 
tion will  give  a  value  to  the  institution  which  can  be 
supplied  by  no  other,  and  secure  a  love  and  respect 
for  it,  and  a  delight  in  it,  which  nothing  else  can  so 
effectually  produce.  Hence  the  question  is  presented, 
with  a  high  and  impressive  claim  to  a  ti'ue  and  defi- 
nite answer.  Is  any  other  than  the  seventh  day  of  the 
week  sustained  by  the  important  and  indisputable  sanc- 
tion of  (Urine  (luthorit.y  ?  If  this,  and  this  only,  be  tho 
Sabbath  of  God's  aj)pointment,  for  general  and  per- 
manent use,  then,  by  the  substitution  of  another  day, 
the  institution  is  shorn  of  its  chief  excellence  and  force 
— yea,  it  is  virtually  annulled.     It  no  longer  exists  as 


6  REASONS    FOR 

God  ordained  it,  for  the  express  reason  that  he  gave 
%>r  it.     This  is  a  point  which  it  becomes  Christians 
-^^lously  to  look  at. 

.  It  is  not  the  province  of  Rulers,  Bishops,  or 
jancils,  to  legislate  for  the  Church,  and  to  bind  the 
consciences  of  men  in  this  or  any  other  matter. 
Man's  appointment  of  another  day  than  the  one  con- 
tained in  the  Divine  Enactment,  does  not  make  it  the 
Sabbath  of  the  Lord.  It  is  only  a  human  laic,  rest- 
ing on  human  authority.  Therefore,  all  attempts  to 
enforce  the  observance  of  such  an  institution  as  being 
of  divine  authority,  are  calculated  to  mislead  and  en- 
snare souls.  It  is  "  teaching  for  docti'ine  the  com- 
mandments of  men."  Our  faith  in  this  matter  "  should 
not  stand  in  the  wisdom  of  men,  but  in  the  power  of 
God."  The  question  is  not,  What  day  have  men 
judged  most  proper  ?  and.  What  reasons  for  the  insti- 
tution have  they  deemed  the  most  appropriate  %  and, 
Wliat  day  have  civil  rulers  sanctioned  by  their  decrees 
and  penalties? — but  it  is.  What  day  has  God  sanctified 
and  blessed  as  a  day  of  rest  %  It  is  manifest  that  no 
man  should  stop  his  inquiries  until  he  is  able  to  pro- 
duce a  clear  divine  w^arrant  for  his  practice. 

III.  The  fact  that  there  is  a  lamentable  division 
among  professors  of  religion  in  regard  to  the  true  de- 
sign of  the  weekly  Sabbath,  and  the  proper  day  to  be 
observed,  evinces  the  great  importance  of  investiga- 
tion, and  of  arriving  at  a  correct  knowledge  of  the 
Divine  Will.  This  division  is  not  likely  to  cease  till 
a  more  general  and  thorough  knowledge  of  the  subject 
is  obtained,  and  a  deeper  interest  therein  is  felt.  Can 
it  reasonably  be  supposed  that  the  whole  church  will 
become  united  in  the  observance  of  the  first  day  of 
die  week,  if  it  is  not  the  Sabbath  of  the  Bible  %     Will 


hiAlilJATII    DISCUSSION.  7 

it  ever  be  the  case,  lluit  Clod  will  Imve  no  witnesses 
for  his  own  nnrcpealed  and  nnadnltcrated  institution  ? 
— none  that  shall  call  the  Sabbath  of  his  own  appoint- 
ment "  a  delight,  the  holy  of  the  Lord,  honorable,  and 
shall  honor  him  therein  V  No  —  this  will  never 
be !  Admitting  that  the  Sabbath  of  the  fourth  com- 
mandment is  still  binding,  there  is  no  dou1")t  that  there 
will  ever  be  a  remnant,  at  least,  who  will  conscien- 
tiously observe  it.  For  his  great  name's  sake,  God 
will  not  suifer  this  prominent  jiart  of  his  law  to  be  uni- 
versally corrupted  and  profaned.  And  hence,  if  a 
preference  continues  to  be  given,  as  it  is  now,  to  a  day 
which  He  has  not  designated  and  made  holy,  there 
will,  of  necessity,  be  a  protracted  division  in  the  ranks 
of  Zion,  and  the  cause  of  the  Redeemer  will,  on  this 
account,  continue  to  suffer.  The  faithful  witnesses 
will  unquestionably  continue  to  prophecy,  though 
clothed  in  sackcloth,  and  to  bear  testimony  against 
the  innovation.  And  no  earthly  power  can  prevent 
them.  Resolves,  and  proscriptions,  and  gibbets,  will 
not  wholly  suppress  their  testimony  in  favor  of  the 
Sabbath  of  the  fourth  commandment.  Therefore,  the 
occasion  of  the  present  division  must  be  put  away  by 
a  general  return  to  the  uncorrupted  appointment  of 
God,  or  the  same  cause  for  regret  and  mourning  which 
now  exists  will  continue  to  afflict  the  church.  Let 
those  who  regard  the  unity  and  peace  of  Zion,  seri- 
ously lay  to  heart  this  consequence. 

IV.  It  must  be  admitted,  that  in  so  important  a  mat- 
ter as  a  weekly  Sabbath,  our  great  moral  Legislator 
has  sufficiently  declared  his  will  to  enable  honest  and 
impartial  inquirers  to  arrive  at  a  true  result.  If  it 
would  be  reasonable  to  expect  explicit  information  of 
his  Avill  concerning  any  point,  it  would  certainlv  be 
reasonable  to   expect  it  concerning  this,   seeincr  the 


8  REASONS    FOR 

claims  of  this  law  would  come  in  direct  contact  with 
the  cupidity  of  men,  and  sensibly  influence  the  arrange- 
ments of  business  and  pleasure — yea,  deeply  nflect  the 
general  interests  of  society.  Were  the  data  furnished, 
from  which  contemplative  and  we]l-di.<posed  mind3 
mio:ht  ivfn-  a  weekly  Sabbath,  its  observance  and  its 
ends  could  not  be  extensively  secured  without  an  ex- 
plicit waiTant.  Therefore,  if  God  intended  there 
should  be  a  Sabbath — yea,  we  might  with  propriety 
say,  that  if  he  intended  his  religion  and  worship  should 
be  ]ireserved  in  the  world — he  would  have  given  an 
exphcit  law  upon  this  subject — one,  of  course,  which 
could  be  easily  discovered,  and  the  permanent  obliga- 
tion of  which  could  be  readily  traced. 

V.  It  is  an  obvious  y«c^,  that  God  has  legislated 
upon  this  subject — that  he  has  once  made  a  law  for 
the  observance  of  the  sevcvth  day  as  a  weekly  Sab- 
hath.  He  did  this  at  the  close  of  his  creative  opera- 
tions. Excepting  man-iage,  the  seventh-day  Sabbath 
is  the  oldest  institution  in  the  world.  Moreover,  God 
gave  a  new  edition  of  this  law  at  the  promulgation  of 
the  Decalogue  upon  Mount  Sinai,  under  circumstances 
of  peculiar  and  awful  solemnity  and  majesty ;  first 
pronouncing  it,  in  connection  with  the  other  nine  com- 
mandments, with  an  audible  voice  from  the  Mount,  in 
the  hearing  of  all  Israel,  amidst  thunders,  and  flames, 
and  tempests  ;  and  afterwards  writing  the  entire  ten  on 
two  tables  of  stone,  for  a  perpetual  rule  of  action.  It 
is  obvious,  also,  that  ohedn-nce  to  this  institution,  so 
solemnly  stated  and  defined,  and  enforced  by  so  plain 
and  adequate  a  reason,  was  regarded  as  a  prominent 
item  of  duty,  and  received  his  marked  approbation^ 
whereas  disobedience  received  his  marked  disajqnoba- 
tion.  It  is  also  clear,  that  good  men  throughout  the 
times  of  the  Old  Testament  were  peculiarly  zealous 


SABBATH    DISCUSSION.  9 

for  t.his  institutioTi,  and  sought  diligently  to  prevent  its 
neglect  or  desecration,  and  to  secure  its  legitimate  ad- 
vantages. Thus  far  all  is  plain,  and  is  generally  con- 
ceded. 

VI.  It  is  a  principle  which  no  proficient  in  the  sci- 
ence of  Government,  divine  or  human,  will  deny,  that 
a  law,  once  enacted  and  in  force,  remains  in  force,  un- 
less repealed  or  amended  by  the  same  authority  which 
first  enacted  it.  Hence,  if  the  law  respecting  the  sev- 
enth-day weekly  Sabbath  has  not  been  repealed  or 
amended  by  the  same  authority  which  first  enacted  it, 
it  still  remains  in  flill  force  and  obligation,  as  originally 
given.  This  conclusion  is  legitimate,  necessary,  and 
undeniable.  It  is  obvious  to  persons  of  every  capacity. 
And  we  here  declare  our  deliberate  and  settled  con- 
viction, from  a  careful  and  thorough  examination  of 
the  matter,  that  there  has  never  been  any  such  repeal 
or  amenditient ;  hence,  that  our  obligation,  and  that  of 
all  men,  to  keep  the  Sabbath  of  the  fourth  command- 
ment, remains  without  the  least  abatement.  "  Till 
heaven  and  earth  pass,"  we  believe,  according  to  the 
declaration  of  the  Saviour,  **  one  jot  or  one  tittle  shall 
in  no  wise  pass  from  the  law,  till  all  be  fulfilled."  We 
alledge,  then,  fearless  of  successful  contradiction,  that 
it  nerer  has  been  so  rei)ealed  or  amended,  and  hence  is 
now  binding  upon  the  entire  family  of  man. 

VII.  From  the  nature  of  the  case,  and  from  God's 
declared  will,  and  procedure  in  other  cases  on  scrip- 
tural record,  it  is  evident  that  the  same  divine  author- 
ity is  attached  to  the  day  of  the  week  to  be  observed, 
as  belongs  to  the  institution  itself,  so  that  there  is  no 
room  to  say,  that  if  a  seventh  j)art  of  time  is  observed 
as  a  holy  rest,  it  is  not  essential  which  day  of  the  week 
is  selected.     When  God  appointed  the  Passover  to  bo 


10  REASONS    FOR 

kept  on  the  fourteenth  day  of  the  first  month  at  even, 
the  time  of  keeping  it  could  not  be  changed  to  the 
thirteenth  or  fifteenth  of  the  montli,  witliout  disregard- 
ing his  authority.  There  was,  indeed,  a  specified  case 
in  which  those  who  were  not  in  the  prescribed  circum- 
stances to  keep  the  fast  at  the  time  appointed,  might 
celebrate  it  on  the  fourteenth  day  of  the  second  month 
at  even.  But  without  this  express  divine  provision,  no 
departure  from  the  first  arrangement  would  have  been 
allowable.  And  when  God  commanded  Saul  to  slay 
the  Amalekites,  without  exception,  together  with  the 
sheep  and  the  cattle,  it  did  not  answer  for  him  to  spare 
their  king,  and  "  the  best  of  the  sheep  and  the  oxen 
for  sacrifice."  For  this  deviation  from  the  course  pre- 
scribed, God  pronounced  him  a  transgi^essor,  and  vis- 
ited him  in  judgment,  declaring  that  "  to  obey  is  better 
than  sacrifice,  and  to  hearken  than  the  fat  of  rams." 
So  when  God  instituted  a  weekly  Sabbath,  and  speci- 
fied the  seventh  day  for  that  purpose,  assigning  a  spe- 
cial and  appropriate  reason,  it  was  manifestly  his  will 
that  that  particular  day  should  be  observed ;  and  the 
substitution  of  another  day,  without  subsequent  instruc- 
tion to  that  effect,  cannot  l>e  reconciled  with  a  due 
regard  for  his  supreme  authority.  It  is  "  changing 
the  ordinance,  and  breaking  the  everlasting  covenant." 

VIII.  It  is  e%ddent  that  the  substitution  of  the  ^r*^  day 
of  the  week  for  the  seventh,  as  a  weekly  Sabbath, 
which  has  been  adopted  by  the  major  part  of  the  pro- 
fessors of  Christianity,  has  presented,  and  continues  to 
present,  a  formidable  obstacle  to  the  conversion  of  the 
Jews,  and  the  introduction  of  the  millennium.  It  is 
well  known,  that  the  Jews  as  a  body  are  exceedingly 
tenacious  of  the  Sabbath  of  the  fourth  commandment  j 
that,  with  few  exceptions,  they  have  persevered  from 
ancient  times  in  its  obsei-vance  ;   and  that  they  consid- 


SABBATH    DISCUSSION.  11 

er  it  a  prominent  article  in  the  religion  of  their  fore- 
fathers.    This  practice  has  been  unbroken  in  the  nation 
fiom  the  time  of  the  giving  of  the  law  upon  Mount 
Sinai  till  the  present  day.     There  have  been,  indeed, 
many  instances  of  Sabbath-breaking  among  them,  and 
at  present  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  the  motives 
which  govern  them  in  its  observance  are  sadly  defi- 
cient.    But  the  practice  itself  is  tenaciously   adhered 
to,  as  required  by  the  unrepealed  law  of  the  God  of 
Israel.     And,  if  our  views  are  correct,  they  have  the 
right  of  the  case,  and  the  majority  of  Christians  have 
corrupted  the  law.     This,  therefore,  is   a  formidable 
obstacle  to  their  embracing  Christianity.     To  become 
Jirst-day  Christians  (and  such  compose  a  vast  majority 
of  professors)  they  must  relinquish  or  change  one  of 
the  precepts   of  the  Decalogue,  and  dissent  from  a 
custom   held   sacred   by   their   ancestors,   and   deep- 
ly  venerated   by   themselves ;     and    that,    too,   with- 
out seeing  any  divine  warrant  produced  for   such  a 
departure.      This  unauthorized   practice   of  keepino- 
the  first  instead  of  the  seventh  day  of  the  week,  can- 
not fail  to  prove  a  powerful  objection  in  their  view  to 
embracing  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.     It  is  true  that 
they  are  tenacious  also  of  other  practices  enjoined  in 
the  Old  Testament,  which  Christians  justly  regard  as 
obsolete.     But  as  to  these,  we  can  show  authority  for 
their  abrogation.     We  can  appeal  to  the  New  Testa- 
ment  records,    and    show    that    the    Mosaic    ritual, 
"  the  law  of  commandments  contained  in  ordinances," 
which  constituted  the  enmity  or  separation  between 
Jews  and  Gentiles,  was   abolished  by  the  death   of 
Christ — that  "  he  took  it  out  of  the  way,  nailing  it  to 
his  cross."     But  the  same  course  cannot  be  success- 
fully pursued  with  respect  to  the  seventh-day  Sabbath. 
The  Decalogue  in  which  this  is  found  was  not  included 
in  the   abrogated  ritual.      It  is  altogether  a  distinct 


12  REASONS    FOR 

thing,  wherefore  the  Jews  cannot  he  met  in  the  same 
way  with  regard  to  the  weekly  Sabhath  as  they  can 
with  regard  to  the  typical  observances  which  had  their 
accomplishment  in  Christ.  Hence  the  stumbling-block 
remains.  And  yet  those  who  observe  the  first  day  are 
generally  praying  for  and  expecting  the  conversion  of 
the  Jews,  and,  in  connection  therewith,  the  millennial 
glory  of  the  church.  What  an  inconsistency  is  this  ! 
While  they  are  praying  for  their  national  conversion 
and  return  to  the  land  of  their  forefathers,  and  are  be- 
gnming  to  use  some  other  means  for  that  end,  they, 
by  their  palpable  violation  of  the  law  of  the  fourth 
commandment,  place  a  most  formidable  obstacle  in 
their  way,  and  pursue  a  course  calculated  to  augment 
their  prejudices,  confirm  their  unbelief,  and  retard  the 
approach  of  millennial  glory.  To  bring  Jews  and 
Gentiles  together  in  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath, 
the  one  party  or  the  other  must  materially  change  their 
practice.  And  which  is  it  most  reasonable  to  expect 
will  ultimately  be  compelled  to  make  the  change — the 
Jeivs,  who  have  the  authority  of  God's  example  and 
express  precept  to  sustain  them,  or  the  Gentiles,  who 
can  claim  no  such  authority  for  a  first-day  Sabbath  1 
Surely,  we  need  not  be  at  a  loss  for  an  answer.  It  is 
confidently  believed,  that  this  subject  has  no  inconsid- 
erable bearing  upon  the  condition  and  prospects  of  the 
Jews.  If  a  few  conversions  are  now  effected  among 
them,  what  might  be  expected  if  Christians  would  re- 
move the  stumbling-blocks  which  their  own  errors 
have  placed  in  their  way  ?  Would  we  enter  an  ef- 
fectual plea  in  behalf  of  this  wonderfiil  and  lon,n^-neg- 
h^cted  people,  we  know  not  how  we  could  do  it  better 
than  to  plead  for  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath  of  the 
fourth  commandment.  Let  those  whose  "  heart's  de- 
sire and  prayer  to  God  for  Israel  is,"  like  Paul's,  "  that 
they  might  be  saved,"  give  this  subject  a  thorough  and 


SABBATH    DISCUSSION.  13 

impartial  consideration,  and  retura  to  the  path  of  strict 
obedience. 

IX.  It  is  not  to  be  expected,  that  an  effectual  check 
can  be  put  to  the  sin  of  Sabbath-breaking,  till  the  duty 
of  keeping  the  Sabbath  is  so  taught,  understood,  and 
practiced,  that  the  sanction  of  express  divine  authority- 
can  be  brought  to  bear  upon  it.  Though  a  weekly 
rest  be  profitable,  both  as  it  respects  "  the  life  that  now 
is,  and  that  which  is  to  come,"  there  is  much  in  the 
carnal  views  and  inclinations  of  men  to  oppose  it,  to 
resist  its  restrictions,  and  to  thwart  its  purposes.  Hence 
powerful  considerations  and  inducements  are  necessary 
to  supi^ress  its  desecration,  and  insure  its  proper  ob- 
servance. Not  only  the  unbelieving  world,  but  Christ- 
ians, in  their  present  imperfect  state,  need  to  have  this 
institution  thoroughly  guarded  to  prevent  its  abuse.  If 
it  be  considered  as  resting  upon  dovhtful  authority  ; 
if  it  be  viewed  as  sustained  merely  by  inference,  and 
the  premises  from  which  the  inference  is  drawn  be  at 
best  questionable,  and  do  not  necessarily  authorize  it ; 
if  the  principal  argument  for  it  be  founded  on  a  sup- 
posed apostolic  example  of  meeting  for  public  worship 
on  the  first  day  of  the  week,  which  is  sustained  only  by 
two  passages,  while  those  very  passages  fail  to  mark  it 
as  a  Sabbath,  or  to  give  the  least  intimation  of  its  hav- 
ing been  introduced  as  a  substitute  for  the  former  Sab- 
bath, and  even  fail  to  imply,  necessarily,  that  meetings 
of  this  description  were  stated  and  general  in  the 
churches  in  the  apostolic  age  ;  and  if  it  be  found,  frf)m 
subsequent  ecclesiastical  history,  that  the  first  day,  called 
Sunday  and  Lord's  day,  was  not  regarded  by  Christ- 
ians in  the  first  centuries  after  the  apostles  as  a  Sab- 
bath, nor  as  substituted  therefore,  but  only  as  r  festival 
in  commemoration  of  the  resun^ection — a  festival  ob- 
served in  connection  with  the  Sabbath,  but  not  accom- 


14  REASONS    FOR 

panied  with  a  reMivs;  from  vwrldly  labor,  till  the  time 
of  Constantine  the  Great ;  yea,  if  but  a  part  of  those 
who  are  considered  experimental  Christians,  look  upon 
it  now  as  properly  a  Sahhath,  or  day  of  holy  rest, 
while  others  regard  it  merely  as  a  day  for  public  wor- 
ship, and  even  surh  as  call  it  a  Snbhnth  conceive,  in 
many  instances,  that  the  strict  observance  formerly 
required  is  somewhat  modijied ;  we  can  easily  per- 
ceive, that  it  wants  that  explicit  sanction — that  high 
and  over -powering  authority — which  will  be  likely  to 
awe  the  public  into  obedience — which  is  necessary, 
indeed,  to  give  Christians  themselves  a  proper  sense 
of  its  sanctity,  and  of  the  evil  of  its  desecration — to 
induce  them  "  not  to  do  their  own  ways,  nor  to  find 
their  own  pleasure,  nor  to  speak  their  o"wti  words,"  in 
it.  In  vain  do  its  friends  procure  for  it  the  resolutions 
of  churches  and  synods,  the  essays  of  the  learned,  and 
the  decrees  of  the  State  ;  if  it  fails  of  being  expressly 
supported  by  the  supreme  authority  of  God,  to  whom 
all  must  render  a  final  and  strict  account,  it  will 
lack  the  main  motive  to  obedience — it  will  be  unat- 
tended with  that  power  which,  above  all  others,  acts 
upon  the  conscience,  and  makes  men  feel  their  ob- 
ligation. And  as  such  authority  does  not  pertain 
to  a  first-day  Sabbath,  but  is  limited  to  the  seventh  day, 
it  is  manifest  that  no  thorough  check  to  Sabbath  des- 
ecration can  be  imposed,  till  men  change  their  views 
and  practice,  and  place  the  institution  on  its  original 
and  proper  basis. 

X.  The  power  of  custom,  though  sustained  by 
ecclesiastical  and  civil  enactments,  and  with  corre- 
sponding forfeitures  and  penalties,  ought  not  to  pre- 
vent investigation  and  discourage  refonn  in  this  im- 
portant matter.  When  the  claims  of  the  original  Sab- 
bath are  plainly  presented,  many  seem  to  be  convinced 


SABBATH    DISCUSSION.  15 

of  their  justness ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  think  that  a 
general  return  to  the  observance  of  the  seventh  day  is 
impracticable.  They  alledge  that  the  custom  of  keep- 
ing the  first  day  has  been  so  long  and  so  generally 
maintained — that  it  is  so  intimately  wrought  into  the 
habits,  calculations,  and  business  of  life — that  it  has 
received  such  explicit  sanction  from  the  civil  powers, 
obedience  thereto  being  required  by  the  authority  of 
the  State,  and  the  disobedient  being  subj  ?cted  to  civil 
pains  and  penalties — and  that  it  is  so  often,  ably,  and 
pointedly  vindicated  by  the  first  ministers,  professors, 
and  commentators  in  the  popular  churches,  that  it  is 
in  vain  to  expect  a  change,  and  that  the  cause  of  Sab- 
bath-keeping is  rather  retarded  than  promoted  by 
eftbrts  to  change  the  present  custom.  And  it  is  highly 
probable  that  some,  in  view  of  these  difficulties,  for- 
bear to  give  the  subject  a  close  investigation.  But  if 
the  same  views  and  modes  of  reasoning  had  been 
adopted  in  other  cases,  what  would  have  become 
of  the  various  reformations  which  are  now  estab- 
lished, and  even  triumphant?  What  would  have 
become  of  the  whole  subject  of  Protestan'ism  1  There 
is  nothing  more  impracticable  in  a  Sabbath  reform 
than  in  any  other  reform.  In  other  cases,  difficulties 
which  at  first  seemed  insurmountable,  have  given  way 
to  laborious,  prayerful,  and  united  effi^rts.  And  there 
is  the  same  reason  to  believe  that  they  will  give  way 
in  this,  if  a  proper  zeal  is  once  awakened,  and  the 
friends  of  the  Sabbath  are  resolved  to  examine  the  sub- 
ject, build  on  the  foundation  of  truth,  and  persevere 
in  their  labors,  with  union  and  vigor,  relying  upon  the 
protecting  power  and  blessing  of  Israel's  God.  It  is 
manifest  that  no  earthly  consideration  should  impede 
our  investigation  of  this  matter,  that  no  array  of  op- 
position and  discouragement  should  daunt  us,  and  that 
no  motives  to  sit  still  or  pass  along  with  the  cuiTent 


16  REASONS    FOR 

of  public  opiiiiori,  if  thai  be  not  founded  in  truth, 
should  be  suffered  to  iiifluence  us,  and  detain  us  in  the 
wilderness  of  error.  The  cause  of  obedience  is  the 
cause  of  God,  and  we  should  steadfastly  labor  to  pro- 
mote it,  and  trust  in  him  for  ultimate  victory. 

XL  As  a  consequence  of  the  foregoing  principlob; 
and  facts,  we  are  constrained  to  regard  those  who  ob- 
serve the  first  day  of  the  week,  to  the  neglect  of  the 
seventh  day,  as  having  sadly  deviated  from  the  path 
of  obedience,  and  we  feel  ourselves  bound  to  admonish 
ihem,  and  labor  re.s])ecl fully  and  kindly  to  reclaim 
them.  We  cannot  think  it  immaterial  what  day  of  the 
week  is  observed  as  a  day  of  rest,  when  God  has 
specified  the  seventh,  and  no  other,  as  a  weekly  Sab- 
bath- We  cannot  think  it  a  small  matter  to  substitute 
the  first  day  in  the  room  of  the  seventh,  although  it  be 
done  in  honor  of  the  resurrection  of  our  Lord,  and 
because  that  event  appears  to  demand  equal  and  even 
gi-eater  commemoration  than  the  work  of  creation,  so 
long  as  there  is  no  divine  warrant  therefor.  This  ap- 
pears to  us  to  be  making  the  wisdom  of  man  the 
foundation  of  duty,  and  not  the  wisdom  of  God.  We 
discover  tico  evils  here;  first,  changing  the  day  with- 
out order  or  permission  from  God ;  and,  secondly, 
changing  the  reason  fi)r  the  institution,  when  the  Lord 
hath  not  spoken.  And  is  not  this  a  departure  from 
the  rule  of  duty  ?  And  has  not  the  Lord  a  contro- 
versy with  Zion  for  this  ?  If  God  had  seen  fit  to  sub- 
stitute the  first  day  for  the  seventh  day,  on  account  of 
the  resurrection,  (supposing  it  to  have  occurred  on  the 
first  day,  which,  however,  is  not  certain,)  and  to  assign 
another  reason  than  the  original  one  for  keeping  the 
Sabbath,  he  would  doubtless  have  given  order  to  that 
effect.  His  not  having  done  so,  makes  it  manifest  that 
he  did  not  see  fit  to  do  this,  and  tliat  he  considered  the 


SABBATH    DISCUSSION.  17 

former  Sahbath  as  well  adapted  to  celebrate  the 
work  of  redemption  as  it  was  the  work  of  creation — 
ada])ted  perfectly  to  snbserve  all  the  purposes  of  a 
weekly  Sabbath.  And  we  find  this  to  be  the  case  by 
experience.  Here,  therefore,  we  rest  satisfied  with 
the  divine  arrangement,  and  feel  deeply  the  importance 
of  universal  conformity  thereto.  Consequently,  our 
regard  for  the  honor  of  God,  and  for  the  sabbatic  insti- 
tution, induces  us  to  bring  this  subject  in  the  present 
form  belbre  the  Christian  public.  We  do  not  think 
that  we  are  justly  chargeable  with  opposing  or  retard- 
ing the  practice  of  Sabbath-keeping,  because  we  pro- 
test against  keeping  the  first  day  of  the  week  as  a 
divine  institution,  and  faithfully  present  the  claims  of 
the  original  Sabbath.  What  better  course  can  we 
take  to  secure  a  proper  observance  of  the  Sabbath, 
than  to  labor  to  restore  it  as  God  originally  made  it  1 
It  is  not  just  to  charge  us  with  Judaizing — with  virtual- 
ly denying  that  Chiist  has  come  in  the  flesh  and  intro- 
duced the  New  Testament  dispensation.  We  might 
as  well  be  charged  with  this  for  maintaining  that 
men  should  not  "have  any  other  God  before  the 
Lord,"  or  that  they  should  "not  kill,"  nor  "steal." 
These  precepts  are  in  close  connection  with  that  re- 
quiring the  observance  of  the  seventh-day  Sabbath, 
and  stand  or  fall  with  it.  The  truth  of  the  case  is, 
that  the  law  containing  the  weekly  Sabbath  is  the  law 
both  of  the  Old  Testament  and  of  the  New.  There 
is  no  Christian  Sabbath  distinct  from  the  Sabbath  of 
the  fourth  commandment.  If  this  be  a  correct  view 
— and  we  see  not  how  it  can  be  gainsayed — we  in  this 
respect  perform  our  duty  as  subjects  of  God's  moral 
governmeiit  only  when  we  exhort  men  to  "  remember 
the  Sabbath  day,  to  keep  it  holy,"  and  when  we  labor 
to  imj^ress  them  with  the  annexed  fact,  that  "  the  sev- 
enth day  is  the  Sabbath." 


18  REASONS    FOR 

These  are  some  of  our  Reasons  for  introducing  the 
subject  of  the  Sabbath,  as  originally  given,  to  your 
consideration.  And  we  seriously  ask  you,  whether 
they  are  not  sufficient — whether  they  are  not  adequate 
for  earnestly  and  pcrseveringly  inviting  investigation 
and  reformation.  If  there  be  any  blame  attached 
to  us  in  the  matter,  it  is  for  not  having  labored 
more  diligently  and  efficiently  in  this  cause.  Are 
we  not  clearly  bound,  by  way  of  promoting  inquiry 
and  reform,  to  bear  a  more  pointed  testimony  against 
the  evil  in  question,  and  to  vindicate  the  claims  of 
the  seventh -day  Sabbath  with  more  zeal  and  firm- 
ness than  ever  before  ?  Are  we  not  peculiarly  obli- 
gated to  labor  to  remove,  if  possible,  the  veil  which  is 
upon  the  minds  of  the  gi'eat  majority  of  professors  of 
Christianity,  correct  the  false  notions  received  by  tra- 
dition from  '  the  Fathers,'  and  effectually  dispel  the  de- 
lusion so  extensively  prevailing.  We  do  not  claim 
the  right  of  dictating  to  the  consciences  of  others. 
"  To  their  own  Master  they  stand  or  fall."  The  only 
ground  which  we  would  assume  is  that  which  was 
occupied  by  the  Apostle  Paul  when  he  said,  "  It  is 
written,  I  have  believed,  and  therefore  have  I  spoken  ; 
we  also  believe,  and  therefore  speak."  And  also  by 
the  Saviour,  "  Let  your  light  so  shine  before  men,  that 
they  may  see  your  good  works,  and  glorify  your  Fa- 
ther which  is  in  Heaven."  And  again,  "  Whatsoever 
ye  would  that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to 
them ;  for  this  is  the  law  and  the  prophets."  Surely, 
"  the  Lord  hath  spoken,  and  who  can  but  prophesy  ?" 
How  can  we  bear  to  see  one  of  his  commandments 
made  void  by  human  tradition  ? — to  see  the  flock  of 
Jesus  divided  concerning  this  question,  where  union 
is  so  necessary  and  desirable  1 — to  witness  the  unavoid- 
able interruptions  occasioned  by  the  different  parties, 
and  the  triumph  of  the  adversaries  of  religion  1 — to 


SABBATH    DISCUSSION.  19 

observe  those  for  whom  Christ  died  grossly  misled  hy 
mistMk(ni  tenchers,  ])r()V()kiiig-  the  Most  High  by  ueg- 
lecting  to  keep  a  day  which  he  has  made  sacred,  and 
tcaiisterriiig  the  sacredness  of  his  own  appointment  to 
an  ordinance  of  men,  or,  what  is  still  worse,  regard- 
ing the  original  institution  as  annulled,  and  placing  in 
its  stead  a  day  merely  of  memorial  of  the  resurrection 
and  of  worship,  divested  of  the  main  characteristics 
of  the  Sabbath,  and  resting  upon  no  solid  basis — its 
foundation,  at  best,  being  mere  prohability  and  conjec- 
ture ?  Must  it  not,  of  necessity,  be  very  painful  to  us, 
to  see  those  who  pre  our  neighbors,  and  by  profession 
our  fellow  Christians,  in  a  case  so  clear  and  im- 
portant, and  involving  such  high  and  permanent 
interests,  contented  with  such  evidence  as  they  would 
blush  to  introduce  in  relation  to  almost  any  other 
point  1  How  can  we  bear  to  see  Protestanffi,  whose 
avowed  maxim  is,  that  "  scriptural  authority  alone 
is  sufficient  to  determine  matters  of  faith  and  duty," 
dispensing  with  their  own  rule,  in  not  requiring  ex- 
pressly a  "  thus  saith  the  Lord "  for  their  practice, 
and  relying  upon  far-fetched  and  inconclusive  reason- 
ings, and  mere  probabilities — yea,  in  some  histances, 
by  their  own  concession,  going  out  of  the  Bible  to 
ecclesiastical  history,  to  find  a  warrant  for  observing 
the  first  day  of  the  week,  which  warrant  itself,  even 
if  proof  from  that  source  were  allowable,  is  by  no 
means  adequate  1 

Do  we  talk  of  reforming  the  church,  while  the  guilt 
of  disobedience  in  this  matter  rests  upon  the  great  ma- 
jority of  her  members'? — while  ministers,  doctors,  and 
profes-iors  of  divinity,  break  one  of  the  command- 
ments of  the  Decalogue,  and  teach  men  so,  and  the 
multitude  are  willingly  obedient  to  their  instructions  ] 
It  is  preposterous  !     A  thorough  reformation  cannot 


20 


REASONS    FOR 


be  effected  under  such  circumstances,  or  while  things 
remain  thus.  It  is  time  that  it  were  more  deeply 
hiid  to  heart,  that  one  of  the  leading  objects  of  Christ's 
mission  was  to  "  save  his  people  from  their  sins  " — 
that  "  he  gave  himself  for  us,  that  he  might  redeem  us 
from  all  iniquity,  and  purify  unto  himself  a  peculiar 
people,  zealous  of  good  works  " — and  that  "  he  that 
saith,  I  know  him,  and  keepeth  not  his  commandments, 
is  a  liar,  and  the  truth  is  not  irx  him  ?"  In  view  of 
such  passages,  although  it  be  admitted  that  occasional 
mistakes  and  sins,  being  repented  of,  do  not  absolutely 
divest  men  of  the  Christian  character  and  hopes,  it 
will  appear,  that  obedience  to  the  will  of  God  is  an  in- 
dispensable requisite  and  all-absorbing  consideration  ; 
and  that,  if  any  man  be  in  Christ,  lie  is  verily  "  a  new 
creature  " — that  he  will  be  "  zealous  of  good  works." 
One  in  pncient  times,  who  was  eminent  for  his  re- 
ligious knowledge,  observed,  "  Then  shall  I  not  be 
ashamed,  when  I  have  respect  unto  all  thy  command- 
ments." And  this  respect,  or  obedience,  which 
constitutes  the  moral  purity  and  glory  of  Christ- 
ians, and  is  the  test  of  tlieir  discipleship,  must  be  reg- 
ulated and  governed  by  the  precepts  of  that  very  law 
which  contains  the  seventh-day  Sabbath.  There  are, 
indeed,  some  precepts  peculiar  to  the  gospel,  such  as 
"  repentance  towards  God,  and  fuith  towards  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,"  "  Baptism,"  and  "  the  Lord's  Supper." 
Nevertheless,  "  the  commandments  of  God,"  so  often 
and  so  particularly  alluded  to  as  the  rule  of  Christian 
duty,  are  eminently  the  precepts  of  the  Decalogue — 
the  "  fen  words  "  or  "  testimonies  "  which  God  spake 
with  his  own  mouth,  and  wrote  with  his  own  finger, 
and  no  one  of  which  has  ever  been  erased  from  the 
sacred  code,  or  undergone  the  least  alteration ;  for 
"  the  law  of  the  Lord  is  'perfect,  converting  the  .^oal." 
The  keeping  of  the  weekly  Sabbath,  therefore,  as  God 


SADDATH    DISCUSSION.  81 

appointed  it,  and  has  continued  it,  enters  vitally  into  the 
matter  of  holy  obedience — the  true  test  of  Christianity. 
If  the  prescriptions  of  the  fourth  commandment  are 
not  faithfully  adhered  to,  our  obedience  is  imperfect. 
We  are  the  proper  subjects  of  reprehension,  and  may 
reasonably  expect  corresponding  tokens  of  Divine  dis- 
pleasure. Sabbath-keeping  is  pecuHarly  adapted  to 
serve  as  a  test  of  loyalty  to  God,  on  account  of  its  fi'e- 
quent  occuirence,  the  weekly  remission  which  it  re- 
quires of  secular  business,  the  peremptory  call  which 
it  makes  on  us  to  leave  all  our  own  works  and  ways 
for  the  special  service  of  God,  and  the  opportunity 
which  it  affords,  amidst  the  common  hun-y  and  bustle 
of  this  world,  to  pause  and  examine  our  state  and 
prospects  for  eternity.  It  is  well  calculated  for  this, 
because  it  so  clearly  and  so  often  teaches  us  that  the 
will  of  God  should  govera  all  our  actions.  All  these 
and  similar  considerations,  therefore,  should  combine 
to  fix  our  attention  to  the  very  day  of  God's  appoint- 
ment, so  that  we  may  sensibly  feel  that  we  are  gov- 
erned by  a  divine  warrant,  and  have  the  sublime  pleas- 
ure of  knowing  that  we  are  conforming  to  the  will  of 
God.  Taking  this  course,  we  not  only  preserve  a 
good  conscience,  but  tread  in  the  footsteps  of  God's 
redeemed  flock.  We  imitate  those  who,  in  the  times 
of  the  Old  Testament,  "took  pleasure  in  his  holy 
day."  We  follow  the  example  of  the  Redeemer  him- 
self, who  was  a  strict  observer  of  the  Sabbath  of  the 
fourth  commandment.  His  vindication  of  the  disci- 
ples in  the  case  of  "  plucking  the  ears  of  corn  "  to  sat- 
isfy their  hunger,  which  some  have  thought  was  a  de- 
viation from  the  strictness  originally  required,  was  in 
perfect  accordance  with  the  ti'ue  intent  and  meaning 
of  the  law,  else  his  obedience  would  have  been  im- 
perfect, and  thereby  the  entire  prospects  of  the  Christ- 
ian would  have  been  blasted.     Under  the  circumstan- 


22  REASONS    FOR 

ces,  it  was  a  work  of  absolute  necessity,  and  therefore 
not  prohibit ed.  As  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  was  un- 
questionably a  strict  observer  of  the  seventh-day  Sab- 
bath, it  is  a  commanding  motive  for  a  continued  ob- 
servance of  it  by  his  followers,  there  being  no  substitute 
appointed. 

The  Apostles,  also,  and  primitive  Christians,  were 
conscientious  observers  of  this  institution  as  originally 
delivered.  The  Sabbath  so  often  mentioned  in  the 
apostolic  records  is  unquestionably  the  seventh-day 
Sabbath.  Who  will  dare  deny  this  1  And  fi'om  ec- 
clesiastical history  it  appears  that  the  whole  Christian 
church,  with  very  few  exceptions  at  most,  kept  the 
seventh-day  Sabbath,  in  obedience  to  the  law  contain- 
ed in  the  Decalogue,  down  to  the  time  of  Constantine, 
in  the  fourth  century,  and  even  afterward.  So  true 
it  is,  that  we  imitate  the  church  in  her  primitive  and 
purest  times,  in  keeping  the  Sabbath  of  the  fourth 
commandment.  Under  such  circumstances,  therefore, 
is  it  strange  that  we  should  strenuously  advocate 
the  practice  ? — that  we  should  adhere  to  it  amidst 
reproaches,  privations,  and  suffering? — and  that  we 
should  feel  the  most  ardent  desire  for  the  reformation 
of  our  brethren  who  differ  from  us  1  The  cause  is 
sufficient  to  demand  this  deep  feeling,  this  unwearied 
effort,  these  prayers  and  tears,  with  a  vast  increase  of 
holy  sensibility,  tenderness  of  conscience,  and  active 
labor,  to  promote  this  branch  of  obedience.  We  there- 
fore earnestly,  and  with  all  due  respect,  commend  the 
subject  to  your  notice.  Do  not  pass  it  by  as  a  matter 
of  little  or  no  consequence.  It  surely  involves  much 
that  should  be  dear  to  the  friends  of  Jesus,  and  the 
advocates  of  pure  morality — to  such  as  would  see  the 
church  appear  "  fair  as  the  moon,  clear  as  the  sun, 
and  terrible  as  an  army  with  banners."  We  entreat 
you,  therefore,  for  the  glory  of  God,  the  honor  of  his 


SAiuiAiii    lu.srr.ssiox.  23 

law  and  government,  tlie  unity  and  perfection  of  the 
church,  yoir  own  spiritual  attainments  and  acceptance 
with  God,  the  conversion  and  salvation  of  sinners,  the 
triumph  of  truth  over  infidelity,  the  redemption  of  the 
long-neglected  house  of  Israel,  the  hastening  of  mil- 
lennial prosperity,  and  the  recompenses  of  eternity,  to 
give  this  subject  a  most  serious  consideration,  to  ex- 
amine and  weigh  our  proofs  and  arguments,  and,  if 
you  find  yourselves  in  error,  as  we  confidently  j^elieve 
you  will,  to  reform.  With  the  high  consideration  in 
view,  that  "  wisdom's  ways  are  pleasantness,  and  all  her 
paths  are  peace,"  and  that  to  pursue  them  "  is  for  your 
life,"  we  invite  and  seek  your  recovery  to  sound  views 
and  practice  in  this  matter.  We  "  long  after  you  in 
the  bowels  of  Jesus  Christ,"  regarding  him  as  "  the 
Lord  of  the  Sabbath,"  not  to  repeal  or  change  the 
sacred  institution,  but  to  protect  it,  and  enforce  obedi- 
ence thereto.  Firmly  believing  that  *'  we  are  not  with- 
out law  to  God,  but  under  the  law  to  Christ,"  we  cannot 
by  any  means  discharge  our  own  convictions  at  this 
eventful  period,  this  remarkable  age  of  attempted  re- 
form, without  using  all  the  persuasion  in  our  power 
to  promote  an  investigation  of  this  matter. 

We  behold  vnth  sincere  gratification  the  efforts 
which  have  been  made,  and  are  being  made,  in  regard 
to  other  subjects  of  special  importance  to  the  church 
and  the  world.  We  would  cordially  cooperate  with 
their  respective  advocates  in  securing,  as  far  as  practi- 
cable, a  strict  obedience  to  other  moral  precepts,  and 
in  emancipating  the  human  mind  from  sin  and  error. 
But  we  cannot  forget  that  God  has  given  a  Jburth,  as 
well  as  Id.  first,  a  sixth,  a  seventh,  and  a  tenth  command- 
ment, and  that  it  rests  upon  equal  authority  with  those, 
and  with  either  of  the  precepts  of  the  Decalogue  ;  and 
hence  we  plead  in  its  behalf.     We  do  this  as  moral 


24  REASONS    FOR    SABBATH    DISCUSSION. 

and  accountable  beings,  as  Protestants,  as  Christians, 
as  reformers,  and  as  cotemporaries  of  our  brethren  in 
the  nineteenth  century,  a  period  so  distinguished  for 
its  moral  and  political  enterprises,  and  for  its  proximity 
to  the  time  when  it  shall  be  said,  **  The  kingdoms  of 
this  world  are  become  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and 
of  his  Christ."  We  approach  you  in  the  belief  that 
open  rebuke  is  better  than  secret  love  " — that  "  faith- 
ful are  jhe  wounds  of  a  friend  " — and  that  we  "  should 
admonish  one  another  daily,  and  so  much  the  more  as 
we  see  the  day  approaching."  We  feel  bound  to  exert 
ourselves  in  this  cause,  in  the  belief  that  "  our  labor 
will  not  be  in  vain  in  the  Lord,"  that  the  church  is 
"  coming  up  out  of  the  wilderness,"  and  that  we  live 
in  the  dawn  of  a  brighter  day,  in  a  period  of  the 
world  when  the  scriptures  and  the  providences  of  Grod 
concur  in  affording  the  highest  encouragement  to  the 
faithful  advocates  of  truth  and  duty.  And  we  do  not 
hesitate  to  express  our  expectation,  that  by  the  bless- 
ing of  God  upon  the  well-directed  and  persevering 
labors  of  his  people,  and  the  continued  and  augment- 
ing spirit  of  inquiry,  there  will  soon  be  achieved  a 
glorious  reformation  in  rtispect  to  the  subject  of  this 
Tract.  God  will  "  overturn,  and  overturn,  and  over- 
turn, till  He  shall  come,  whose  right  it  is,"  and  "  the 
sanctuary  shall  be  cleansed." 

Finally — we  enter  our  testimony  in  what  we  deem 
an  important  case,  in  the  hope,  through  grace,  of  meet- 
ing all  "  the  faithful  in  Christ  Jesus  in  the  everlasting 
rest,"  of  which  the  rest  of  the  seventh  day  is  a  lively 
and  touching  type  and  foretaste. 


Published  by  the  American  Sabbath  Tract  Society, 
No.  9  Spruce  Street,  New  York. 


T0B 

sabbath: 

ITS  MORAL  NATURE   AND  OBSERVAJ.tuB 


Section  I.  \ 

THE  SABBATH  NOT  CEREMONIAL- 

It  is  disputed  whether  the  weekly  Sabbath  ^  an 
essential  part  of  what  is  generally  called  the  iUoral 
Law,  which  the  Holy  Ghost  declares  to  be  "  spiritual 
— holy,  and  just,  and  good ;"  or  whether  it  is  to  be 
classed  among  the  ceremonial  institutions,  which  were 
"  a  shadow  of  things  to  come."  If  the  latter  position 
can  be  established,  it  can  be  of  no  use  whatever  to 
perpetuate  the  Institution  under  the  New  Dispensa- 
tion. It  can  neither  be  promotive  of  the  spirituality 
and  growth  of  the  body  of  Christ,  nor  even  conserva 
tive  of  the  morals  of  the  community.  To  suppose 
that  the  church  cannot  enjoy  al)  necessary  prosperity^ 
and  attain  its  millennial  glory  by  the  use  of  New  Co- 
venant ordinances  alone,  but  must  borrow  a  little  help 
from"  the  abrogated  rites  of  the  Old  Economy,  is  most 
anti-evangelical.  Gal.  iii.  3.  The  church  needs  no- 
thing for  the  nourishment  of  its  piety,  except  such 
means  as  have  the  entire  sanction  of  the  "  better  co 
venant."  Moses,  is  dead,  and  the  Lord  has  buried 
him.  He  cannot  lead  us  into  the  promised  inherit- 
ance. We  have  only  to  follow  our  Joshua,  even 
Jesus,  "  the  Son  who  is  consecrated  forevermore." 

Nor  can  "  the  weak  and  beggarly  elements"  be  of 
service  to  promote  the  morals  of  the  community. 
Where  do  we  find  the  most  elevated  and  pure  moraii- 


2  THE    SABBATH 

ty,  Chat  which  is  refined  from  all  selfishness  ?  We  find 
it  only  in  real  Christians.  The  source,  and  life,  and 
power  of  it  is  the  Atonement  of  their  Great  High- 
Priest,  and  the  grace  wnich  is  hy  Him.  Their  obe- 
dience to  all  moral  precepts  is  the  obedience  of  faith ^ 
even  faith  in  his  sacrifice.  In  proportion  as  their 
faith  is  strong,  and  their  dependence  on  Him  entire, 
to  the  exclusion  of  all  reliance  upon  their  own  merit, 
so  is  their  moral  conduct  irreproachable.  It  is  not  by 
any  r^ort  to  the  "  weak  and  unprofitable  command- 
ment," that  their  morality  acquires  such  excellence. 
As  for  that  inferior  kind  of  morality,  which  obtains 
among  unbelievers,  however  profitable  it  may  be  to 
human  society,  it  is  but  the  mimic  representation  of 
that  which  is  practiced  by  the  godly.  For  its  very 
existence  it  is  dependent  on  Christianity,  from  whose 
influence  if  it  recede,  it  becomes  withered  and  per- 
ishes. Transplanted  to  a  heathen  soil,  it  cannot  live. 
As,  therefore,  the  general  morals  of  the  community 
are  traceable  to  the  gospel  as  their  first  cause,  and  are 
kept  in  credit  only  by  its  nurturing  influence,  it  would 
be  at  war  with  sound  reason  to  suppose,  that  they 
could  be  promoted  by  such  things  as  are  destructive 
of  the  purity  of  the  gospel  itself  They  will  be  much 
safer,  if  left  wholly  to  the  nurturing  influence  of  that 
system,  which  is  declared  to  be  '  complete  and  fault- 
less,— the  power  and  the  wisdom  of  God.'  Where 
fore,  if  the  weekly  Sabbath  was  a  ceremonial  Institu 
tion,  we  have  no  use  for  it,  either  as  it  respects  the 
church,  or  the  world.  It  is  an  injyry  ratht«r  than  a 
benefit. 

But  if,  on  the  other  hand,  the  S'abbath  is  a  par<t  of 
God's  holy,  and  just,  and  good  law,  to  which  nothing 
but  the  carnal  mind  refuses  subjection,  Rom.  viii.  7, 
it  must  be  an  institution  of  lasting  value,  to  dispense 
with  which  is  dangerous  in  the  extreme.     For  the 


NOT    CEREMONIAL  9 

transgression  of  this  law  is  sin,  1  John  iii.  4,  and  the 
wages  of  sin  is  death,  Kom.  vi.  23. 

That  the  Sabbath  was  not  a  ceremonial  institution, 
is  proved  from  the  fact  that  it  was  given  to  man  before 
his  Apostacy,  Gen.  ii.  1-3.  There  he  had  no  need 
of  a  Redeemer,  for  he  bore  the  image  of  his  Maker 
in  righteousness  and  true  holiness.  If  man  in  his 
original  state  of  uprightness  had  no  need  of  a  Re- 
deemer, he  certainly  had  no  need  of  a  type  of  the 
Redeemer.  Types,  in  such  a  case,  were  unmeaning 
things,  or  else  a  source  of  vexation  and  horrible  fore- 
bodings. If  he  understood  their  meaning,  he  could 
never  look  upon  them,  without  thinking  of  the  awful 
ruin  into  which  he  must  soon  be  plunged  by  the  fall. 
But  this  would  both  operate  as  a  discouragement  to 
all  endeavors  at  steadfastness,  and  at  the  same  time 
would  exhibit  the  All-Benevolent  God  as  marring  the 
happiness  of  an  innrcent  creature  ; — an  idea  never  to 
be  admitted.  We  conclude,  therefore,  that  the  Sab- 
bath, as  originally  instituted,  possessed  nothing  of  a 
ceremonial  character.  Typical  institutions  were  in- 
troduced after  the  fall,  to  explain  to  ruined  man  the 
nature  of  that  redemption  of  which  he  stood  in  need, 
and  which  in  the  fulness  of  the  time  w^ould  be  pro- 
vided for  him.  They  were  for  his  encouragement  and 
consolation : — not  to  mar  his  happiness,  but  to  pro- 
mote it. 

To  evade  the  force  of  this  argument,  some  contend 
that  the  Sabbath  was  not  actually  instituted  and  given 
to  man  in  Paradise  ;  that  the  sanctification  of  it  men- 
tioned by  Moses,  signifies  only  that  appointment  then 
made  of  the  seventh  day,  to  be  afterwards  solemnized 
and  sanctified  by  the  Jews.  But  the  utter  futility  of 
this  objection  appears  from  our  Savior's  declaration 
that  "  the  Sabbath  was  made  for  man."  Mark  if 
27.     If  it  w^as  made  for  man,  it  was  made  for  him  as 


4  THE    SABBATH 

•nan;  the  very  word  denoting  mankind  at  large, or 
rather,  referring  to  the  first  man  as  the  representative 
of  the  whole  hunaan  race.  It  was  made  for  him  as  a 
human,  rational,  intelligent  creature  ;  for  his  benefit 
as  such^  without  reference  to  the  particular  nation  or 
country  to  which  he  might  belong.  If  it  was  made 
for  his  benefit,  is  it  reasonable  to  suppose  that  it  w^as, 
nevertheless,  kept  in  abeyance  for  twenty-five  hun- 
dred years  r  Made  for  man,  and  yet  not  given  to 
him !  The  world  teem.ing  with  human  beings,  and 
yet  the  very  institution  that  was  designed  for  their 
temporal  and  spiritual  welfare,  kept  from  them  for 
more  than  two  thousand  years,  and  then  given  only 
to  an  isolated  people  forming  but  a  fraction  of  the  hu- 
man race  !  The  idea  is  monstrous  absurdity.  An 
institution  so  important  to  the  interests  of  humynity, 
of  civilization,  and  of  religion,  was  wanted  immedi- 
ately, as  well  as  at  the  distance  of  tw^o  thousand  years 
afterwards. 

The  objection  is  farther  confuted  by  a  consideration 
of  the  reason  which  enforces  the  institution.  The 
reason  is,  "  that  God  rested  on  the  seventh  day  from 
all  his  work  which  he  had  made."  The  natural  in- 
ference is,  that  the  institution  existed  from  the  time 
the  reason  of  it  did.  Human  legislators,  it  is  true, 
may  not  enact  a  law^,  until  long  after  a  good  reason 
exists  for  doing  so  ;  because  they  may  be  blind  to  the 
existence  of  such  a  reason,  and  slow  to  discover  it. 
But  not  so  with  God.  If  the  work  of  creation,  and 
his  resting  from  it  on  the  seventh  day,  is  at  any  pe- 
riod of  the  world  a  good  reason  tnat  man  .>hould  rest 
on  that  day,  it  was  a  good  reason  from  the  beiginning. 
It  was  good  as  soon  as  there  were  men  to  do  it.  So 
that  what  was  then  their  reasonable  service,  could  not 
have  been  deferred  for  twenty-five  hundred  years. 
Nay,  it  may  be  safely  affirmed,  that  the  reason  for 


NOT    CEREMONIAL. 


keeping  the  SaLbath  possessed  more  cogency  at  tne 
beginning  than  it  did  afterwards.  For  in  after  ages 
sin  had  marred  and  defaced  the  Ahiiighty's  work. 
Nevertheless,  if  when  sin  had  marred  it,  there  was 
still  good  reason  for  keeping  the  memorial  of  it,  much 
more  was  there  good  reason  for  doing  so,  when  it  was 
in  all  its  original  glory.  In  what  respect  does  or  did 
this  reason  concern  the  Jews  more  than  any  otner  part 
of  mankind  ?  Do  not  Gentiles  stand  on  the  same 
level  with  them  in  respect  of  their  being  a  part  of 
God's  creation  ?  Have  they  not  as  much  interest  in 
creation  as  the  Jews  ?  "  Is  He  the  God  of  the  Jews 
only  }     Is  He  not  of  the  Gentiles  also  ?" 

The  reasons  for  such  institutions  as  were  enjoined 
on  the  Jews  particularly,  were  derived  from  considera- 
tions in  which  they  as  a  people  had  a  special  and  pe- 
culiar interest.  Now  the  Sabbath,  it  is  true,  is  in  one 
place  enforced  upon  them  by  a  consideration  of  this 
kind,  viz.  their  redemption  from  bondage  in  Egypt, 
Deut.  V.  15.  But  while  this  laid  the  Jews  under  a 
special  and  peculiar  obligation  to  regard  the  institu- 
tion, it  does  not  forbid  the  idea  that  they  were  also 
under  obligations  of  a  general  nature,  which  concern 
all  mankind  alike.  So  too,  the  Christian  church  is 
under  a  special  obligation  too  keep  this  sacred  day, 
because  of  its  interest  in  the  blood  of  redemption. 
But  to  infer  from  this,  that  the  common  obligation  un- 
der which  all  others  are  held  is  canceled,  and  that 
none  are  bound  to  keep  it  except  the  blood-bought 
church  of  God,  would  be  in  the  last  degree  illogical, 
as  well  as  unscriptural. 

Let  it  be  observed,  that  the  language  of  the  sacred 
historian  :  "  God  blessed  the  seventh  day  and  sancti- 
fied it" — is  no  more  qualified,  than  that  w^hich  speaks 
of  his  resting.  With  reference  to  this,  his  language 
16  explicit, — ^^  He  rested  on  the  seventh  day  from  aU 


6  THE    SABBATH 

his  work  which  he  had  made."  In  face  of  such  a  de- 
claration, nothing  but  folly  would  say,  that  God  did 
not  actually  rest  on  the  seventh  day  of  creation,  but 
waited  until  the  Jews  were  called  out  of  Egypt. 
God  certainly  did  rest  on  the  seventh  day  of  crea- 
tion. If  the  ordinary  construction  of  language  is  to 
be  employed  in  reference  to  this,  it  must  be  employed 
in  reference  to  his  blessing  and  sanctifying  it  also. 
Wherefore,  as  God  rested  on  the  seventh  day  of  crea- 
tion, he  blessed  and  sanctified  that  day,  even  that  very 
day  on  which  he  rested.  "  God  blessed  the  seventh 
day,  and  sanctified  it,  because  that  in  ity  [the  very 
day  which  he  so  blessed  and  sanctified,]  he  had  rested 
from  all  his  work  which  God  created,  and  made." 
Gen. -ii.  3. 

The  act  of  blessing  and  sanctifying  the  day  can 
import  nothing  else  than  constituting  it  a  Sabbath. 
For  to  sanctify,  undoubtedly,  is  to  set  apart  for  a  holy 
use.  It  refers  to  some  line  of  conduct  to  be  observ- 
ed by  men  towards  that  day.  The  expression,  "God 
blessed  it,"  must  mean  that  he  rendered  it  a  day  pe- 
culiarly happy  and  beneficial  for  man.  For  when- 
ever God  blesses  an  object,  whether  it  be  a  person 
or  an  inanimate  thing — a  rational  creature  or  the 
brute  creation — he  connects  with  his  blessing  certain 
favors  which  would  otherwise  not  be  bestowed,  and 
renders  the  object  serviceable  for  the  promotion  of 
certain  purposes  which  would  not  result  without  his 
olessing.  A  few  examples  will  render  this  perfectly 
clear.  Thus,  when  he  blessed  the  first  human  pair, 
and  the  brute  creation,  he  bestowed  on  them  the  pow- 
er to  be  "  fruitful  and  multiply."  When  the  ground 
receiveth  blessing  from  God,  it  bringeth  forth  herbs, 
meet  for  them  by  whom  it  is  dressed.  When  it  is 
cursed,  it  bears  thorns  and  briars,  Heb.  vi.  7,  S.  Gen. 
xxvii.  27.    Lev.  xxv  21.    Mai.  iii.  10.     When  God 


NOT    CEREMONIAL.  7 

blessed  Abraham,  he  bestowed  on  him  a  numerous 
posterity,  with  Canaan  for  an  inheritance,  and  counted 
his  faith  for  righteousness.  In  blessi-ng  Samson,  Judg- 
es xiii.  24,  he  endowed  him  with  an  heroic  spirit, 
singuhir  valor,  miraculous  strength  of  body,  and  all 
other  gifts  and  graces  necessary  to  his  calling.  When 
he  blesses  the  church,  he  bestows  spiritual  blessings 
in  Christ,  Eph.  i.  3.  Numerous  other  examples 
might  be  adduced :  but  these  are  sufficient  to  show, 
that  in  connection  with  the  Divine  blessing,  special 
favors  are  always  bestowed.  We  therefore  argue, 
that  when  it  is  said,  "  God  blessed  the  seventh  day," 
it  can  mean  nothing  less  than  that  he  connected  with 
it  favors  and  benefits  above  what  are  connected  WMth 
any  other  day,  and  that  he  bestows  them  abundantly 
upon  those  who  keep  it,  and  delight  in  it,  Isa.  Iviii. 
13.  He  renders  the  day  serviceable  for  the  promotion 
of  the  spiritual  and  temporal  welfare  of  man.  For  it 
can  by  no  means  be  supposed,  that  God  proposed  to 
render  homage  to  himself,  or  to  bless  himself  It 
must  be  man,  for  whom  the  Sabbath  was  made,  Mark 
ii.  27,  that  stands  in  need  of  the  blessing,  and  who  is 
bound  to  make  a  holy  use  of  the  day. 

The  foregoing  remarks  are  judged  sufficient  to  de- 
stroy the  notion  of  the  Sabbath  being  a  ceremonial 
institution.  But  w^e  will  not  yet  dismiss  the  subject.  ]/ 
it  was  a  ceremony,  why  was  its  importance  magnifiei' 
above  all  the  other  ceremonies  ?  Why  that  pre-emi- 
nence and  sanctity,  which  it  had  above  all  other 
types  ?  It  rears  its  head  high  above  all  the  ritual 
institutions,  and  holds  this  superiority  throughout  the 
whole  Mosaic  Economy.  iSot  only  is  it  counted 
worthy  of  being  graven  by  the  finger  of  God  upon 
the  stone  tablets,  thus  having  the  same  honor  as  all 
the  other  precepts  of  the  Decalogue,  which  are  con- 
fessedly moral ;  but  even  where  it  appears  in  combi- 


8  THE    SABBATH 

nation  with  the  ceremonial  usages,  its  great  impor 
tance  as  a  moral  institute  directed  to  the  highest  ends, 
is  clearly  exhibited. 

"  For  first,  after  the  record  of  the  promulgation  of 
the  Decalogue,  three  chapters  of  judicial  statutes  fol- 
low ;  but  in  the  midst  of  these,  the  people  are  re- 
minded of  the  essential  importance  of  the  Sabbath,  in 
a  manner  quite  distinct  and  peculiar.  It  is  associated 
with  the  primary  duty  of  wor.^hiping  the  one  true 
God,  as  of  equal  obligation,  and  indeed  as  necessary 
to  it.  '  Six  days  shalt  thou  do  thy  work,  and  on  the 
seventh  thou  shalt  rest,  *  *  in  all  things  that  I 
have  said  unto  thee,  be  circumspect,  and  make  no 
mention  of  the  name  of  other  gods,  neither  let  it  be 
heard  out  of  thy  mouth,'  Exod.  xxiii.  12,  13.  This 
is  sufficiently  remarkable. 

"Again,  after  six  chapters  more  concerning  the 
tabernacle  and  its  various  sacrifices,  the  whole  com- 
munication of  the  forty  days'  abode  on  the  mount  is 
concluded  with  a  re-inculcation  of  the  Sabbath-rest, 
in  a  manner  the  most  solemn  and  affecting.  'And 
the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses  saying,  verily  my  Sab- 
bath ye  shall  keep  ;  for  it  is  a  sign  between  me  and 
you  throughout  your  generations,  that  ye  may  know 

THAT    I    AM    THE    LoHD    THAT     DOTH     SANCTIFY    YOU. 

Ye  shall  keep  the  Sabbath,  therefore,  for  it  is  holy 
unto  you  ;  every  one  that  defileth  it  shall  surely  be 
put  to  death  ;  for  whosoever  doeth  any  work  therein, 
that  soul  shall  be  cut  off  from  among  his  people. 
Six  days  may  work  be  done ;  but  in  the  seventh  is 
the  Sabbath  of  rest,  holy  to  the  Lord ;  whosoever 
doeth  any  work  in  the  Sabbath-day,  he  shall  surely 
be  put  to  death.  Wherefore  the  children  of  Israel 
shall  keep  the  Sabbath,  to  observe  the  Sabbath 
throughout  their  generations,  for  a  perpetual  cove- 
nant.    It  is  a  sign  between  me  and  the  children  of 


NO    CEREMONIAL  9 

Israel  forever,  for  in  six  days  the  Lord  made  heaven 
and  earth,  and  on  the  seventh  day  he  rested  and  M'as 
refreshed.'  Exod.  xxxi.  12 — 17.  Can  anything  give 
dignity  to  the  sacred  day,  as  founded  in  the  essential 
relation  of  man  to  his  Maker  and  Redeemer,  if  this 
sublime  language  does  not  ?  Every  idea  of  sanclifi- 
cation,  every  sense  of  importance  from  a  sign  of  a 
covenant  between  God  and  man,  every  sanction  de- 
rived from  the  awful  punishn  ent  of  death,  unite  to 
impress  upon  us  the  duty  ;  whilst  the  proportion  no- 
ted between  the  working  days  and  the  day  of  rest, 
and  the  reason  drawn  from  the  order  of  creation,  ex- 
tend the  obligation  to  every  human  being."* 

This  great  prominence  which  the  Sabbath  had 
amidst  all  the  ceremonial  laws,  was  equivalent  to  an 
intimation  that  the  ritual  service  must  never  take  the 
precedence  of  moral  duties  ;  that  in  the  multitude  of 
their  offerings  and  shadowy  service,  the  worshipers 
must  still  remember  that  true  holiness  does  not  con- 
sist in  them,  but  in  something  higher  ;  and  that  all 
their  conformity  to  the  rilual  service  must  proceed 
upon  moral  footing,  otherwise  it  is  abomination  ir* 
the  sight  of  God. 

But  come  with  me,  reader,  a  little  farther,  and  see 
how  the  scriptures  magnify  the  Sabbath  at  the  very 
time  they  comparatively  underrate  the  importance  of 
ceremonial  observances.  Compare  carefully  Isa.  i.  11 — 
14,  with  chapters  Ivi.  1 — 8,  and  Iviii.  I'S,  14,  of  the 
same  prophecy.  See  how  in  the  one  case  the  ritual 
service  is  degraded,  and  in  the  other  the  Sabbath  is 
exalted,  and  the  holy  keeping  of  it  made  the  con- 
dHion  on  which  depends  the  acceptance  of  theii 
burnt-offerings  and  sacrifices.  Consider  the  language 
of  Jeremiah,  chap.  xvii.  192 — 7.     Read  the  passage 

*  Wilson. 


10  THE    SABliATH 

with  care,  and  see  how  all  the  prosperity  of  the 
nation,  all  the  favor  of  God,  is  suspended  on  this 
one  branch  of  moral  obedience;  wilb  which  com- 
pare his  language  concerning  ceremonial  observ- 
ances. "  For  I  spake  not  unto  your  fathers,  nor 
commanded  them  in  the  day  that  I  brought  them  out 
of  the  land  of  Egypt,  concerning  burnt-offerings  or 
sacrifices  :  But  this  thing  commanded  I  them,  saying, 
Obey  my  voice,  and  I  will  be  your  God,  and  ye  shall 
be  my  people  ;  and  walk  ye  in  all  the  ways  that  ] 
have  commanded  you,  that  it  maybe  well  unto  you,'' 
Jer.  vii.  22,  23.  A  comparison  of  these  passages 
shows  that  Sabbath-breaking  stood  upon  the  same 
level  with  the  breach  of  all  moral  precepts,  and  cha- 
racterized them  as  a  disobedient  and  rebellious  peo- 
ple ;  while  the  neglect  of  ceremonial  observances  is 
classed  in  a  different  category.  Ezekiel  follows  in 
the  same  strain,  chap.  xx.  12,  13,  16.  In  the  book 
of  Psalms  too,  we  have  the  Sabbath  and  its  holy  du- 
ties and  pleasures  extolled,  Ps.  xcii,  while  ceremo- 
nies are  depreciated,  Ps.  1.  8,  14,  li.  16,  17.  And 
what  was  the  great  reformation  which  the  prophets 
after  the  captivity  sought  to  accomplish  ?  Was  not 
Sabbath-breaking  the  crying  sin  upon  which  they 
dwelt  ?  Look  at  the  holy  zeal  of  Nehemiah.  His 
faithful  and  searching  rebukes  proceed  not  upon  their 
omission  of  ceremonial  duties,  but  upon  their  neglect 
of  the  great  and  paramount  duty  of  keeping  the  Sab- 
bath, Neh.  xiii.  15,  21,  22.  In  view  of  these  scrip- 
ture references,  does  the  Sabbath  look  like  a  ceremo- 
ny— a  shadow — a  mere  element  of  the  world,  weak 
and  beggarly  ! 

Again,  if  the  Sabbath  was  a  part  of  the  ceremonial 
law,  why  was  Christ  at  such  pains  to  regulate  the 
manner  of  observing  it.?  Matt.  xii.  1,  13.  Why  so 
careful  to  modify  the  false  usages  that  obtained .' 


NOT    CEREMONIAL.  11 

Why  did  he  lay  down  distinctions  between  what  is 
lawful  to  be  done,  and  what  is  unlawful  ?  Was  this 
his  manner  when  any  thing  ceremonial  was  the  sub- 
ject of  dispute  ?  Do  we  not  find  him,  in  such  cases, 
waiving  the  subject  at  issue,  in  order  to  inculcate  mat- 
ters of  lasting  importance  ?  How  was  it  in  his  inter- 
view with  the  Samaritan  woman  ?  John  iv.  Her 
question  in  regard  to  the  proper  place  of  worship  was 
merely  of  a  ceremonial  nature,  yet  it  had  been  hotly 
disputed  between  her  nation  and  the  Jews.  Does 
Jesus  become  an  umpire  in  the  case  ?  No.  The  cere- 
monial institutions  were  about  to  vanish  away  ;  He 
himself  came  to  end  them.  Therefore  he  occupies 
himself,  not  in  settling  the  litigated  questions  that 
grew  out  of  them,  but  in  preaching  great  and  ever- 
lasting truths.  In  regard  to  the  Moral  Law,  how- 
ever,  he  is  at  especial  pains  to  vindicate  it  from  all 
Pharisaic  austerities,  to  remove  all  false  glosses,  and 
to  assert  its  everlasting  equity  and  glory.  Witness 
his  admirable  exposition  of  it  in  his  sermon  on  the 
mount.  Witness  too,  his  exposure  of  the  hypocrit- 
ical tradition  concerning  the  fifth  commandment. 
Matt.  XV.  1 — 9.  With  this,  his  vindication  of  the 
Sabbath,  his  care  to  purge  it  from  traditional  corrup- 
tions, is  perfectly  parallel.  But  what  sane  mind  ever 
thought  that  he  proclaimed  the  fifth  commandment  to 
be  of  a  ceremonial  nature  ?  Yet,  strange  to  say,  the 
precisely  similar  course  which  he  took  in  regard  to  the 
Sabbath,  has,  by  some,  been  made  an  argument  that 
he  abolished  it  as  nothing  but  a  Jewish  ceremony. 

*  But  drowning  men  catch  at  straws.'  In  spite  of 
the  overwhelming  proof  that  the  Sabbath  had  its 
origin  before  ceremonial  observances  could,  with  any 
reason,  have  been  introduced,  it  is  contended  that  it 
must  have  been  merely  a  Mosaic  institution,  because 
no  mention  is  made  of  its  observance  from  the  creation 


12  THE    SABBATH 

down  to  the  time  of  the  exodus  of  the  Israelites  from 
Egypt.  It  is  asked,  '  whether  men  during  all  that 
time,  though  otherwise  so  wicked,  sanctified  the  Sab- 
bath so  universally  and  perfectly,  that  not  one  among 
them  ever  needed  an  excitement  to  duty,  or  a  reproof 
for  the  neglect  of  it.'  But  to  this  question,  however 
triumphantly  proposed,  we  are  as  ready  to  answer.  No, 
as  the  objector  himself.  Thf^.t  the  great  mass  of  men, 
during  all  this  time,  were  wicked  and  sinners  before 
the  Lord  exceedingly,  is  admitted.  But  because  they 
were  not  particularly  reproved  for  Sabbath-breakings 
no  more  proves  that  it  was  not  a  sin  cognizable  by 
the  moral  law,  than  ^he  fact  of  God's  winking  at  the 
times  of  the  Gentiles'  ignorance  and  idolatry,  Acts 
xvii.  30,  proves  that  their  conduct  was  not  cogniza 
ble  as  a  sin  against  his  law.  If  God  passed  over  the* 
Sabbath-breaking  of  those  who  lived  in  the  first  ages 
of  the  world  without  particularly  taking  notice  of  it, 
the  same  may  be  said  of  his  carriage  towards  the 
Gentile  world,  in  reference  to  all  their  wickedness  foi 
four  thousand  years.  Besides,  is  not  the  drunkeness 
of  Noah  passed  over  without  reproof  ?  Is  not  Lot's 
incest  w-ith  his  daughters  ? — and  Jacob's  cheating  Esau 
of  the  patrimony.'' — and  the  plurality  of  the  patriarchs' 
wives  .''  Were  these  things  not  contrary  to  the  Di 
vine  Law,  because  they  were  "  winked  at  .^"  Or,  to 
come  to  cases  still  more  in  point,  we  observe  that  the 
silence  of  scripture  respecting  the  observance  of  the 
Sabbath  during  the  ante-Mosaic  age,  is  no  more  than 
what  occurs  in  regard  to  the  period  between  Moses 
and  the  time  of  David,  near  four  hundred  years.  Yet 
who  ever  doubted  that  it  was  observed  during  all  this 
time  ?  So  also  the  rite  of  circumcision  is  not  so  much 
as  alluded  to  from  a  little  after  the  death  of  Moses^ 
till  the  days  of  Jeremiah,  a  period  of  eight  hundred 
years  or  more.      Nor  is  the  ordinance  of  the   red 


NOT    CEREMONIAL. 


13 


heifer  once  mentioned  from  the  Pentateuch  till  the 
close  of  the  Old  Testament.     But  who   doubts   the 
constant  observance  of  these  ceremonies  ?     The  ob 
jection,  therefore,  which  is  raised  from  the  silence  of 
Scripture,  has  no  force  whatever. 

But  whoever  considers  the  very  concise  manner  in 
which  events  are  narrated  in  scripture,  and  that  the 
history  of  two  thousand  years  is  all  compressed  within 
the  compass  of  fifty  short  chapters,  occupying  about 
as  many  pages,  will  cease  to  wonder  that  no  notice  is 
taken  of  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath  by  the  pious 
patriarchs.  This  very  conciseness  is  a  sufficient  solu- 
tion to  a  candid  mind,  without  resorting  to  the  suppo- 
sition that  there  was  no  observance  of  the  institution 
Moreover,  any  one  that  peruses  with  attention  the 
accounts  of  pious  characters  contained  in  the  word  of 
God,  will  see  that  no  express  mention  is  made  of  their 
acts  of  religion,  unless  something  remarkable  attaches 
to  them.*  Abraham's  faith  is  mentioned,  because  it 
was  remarkable.  So  of  Abel,  of  iVoah,  and  of  Enoch. 
But  in  regard  to  their  observance  of  the  Sabbath  in 
particular,  it  is  not  probable  that  any  thing  remarkable 
or  extraordinary  was  connected  with  it,  rendering  it 
of  sufficient  importance  to  the  world  at  large  to  be 
recorded. 

The  position  that  we  have  taken  is,  that  the 
Sabbath  was  instituted  in  Paradise,  when  man  was 
innocent;  that  it  was  binding  before  Judaism  had  any 
existence.  We  have  seen  that  the  silence  of  scripture 
as  to  any  reproof  given  to  the  transgressor  of  it,  does 
not  shake  this  position  ;  that  its  silence  as  to  any  com- 
mendation bestowed  upon  the  pious  for  keeping  it, 
does  not  shake  it ;  and  that  its  entire  silence  is  no 
more  than  what  obtains  with  regard  to  the  Sabbath 

*  Burnside. 


14  THE    SABBATH 

from  Moses  to  David,  or  with  regard  to  circumcision 
from  Joshua  to  Jeremiah,  or  with  regard  to  the  red 
heifer  from  Moses  to  the  end  of  the  Old  Testament 
Is  there  any  thing  yet  remaining  to  weaken  the  force 
of  our  arguments  ? 

In  the  opin-ion  of  our  opponents  there  is  one  thing 
more.  It  is  argued,  from  Ex.  xvi.,  that  the  Sabbath 
was  first  made  known  to  the  Israehtes  in  the  wilder- 
ness, by  the  falling  of  the  manna.  But  we  can  dis- 
cover nothing  in  the  whole  history  of  the  matter,  as 
given  by  Moses,  which  intimates  that  the  Sabbath 
was  then  made  known  for  the  first.  On  the  contrary, 
the  abruptness  of  the  reference  implies  very  s'rongiy 
the  previous  knowledge  of  it.  This  idea  receives 
strong  confirmation  from  the  fact,  that  when  the  peo- 
ple were  reminded  of  the  institution,  nothing  was  said 
to  them  concerning  the  reason  of  its  being  their  duty 
to  keep  it ;  which  would  hardly  have  been  the  case, 
had  the  subject  been  then  presented  to  them  for  the 
first  ti.me.  For  it  is  w^orthy  of  note,  that  God  con- 
descends to  give  the  reason  of  this  command  ;  a  thing 
which  he  does  not  for  moral  precepts  in  general.  He 
gives  the  reason,  because  man  cannot  discover  it  for 
himself,  it  being  purely  a  matter  of  revelation  that 
God  made  the  world  in  six  days,  and  rested  on  the 
seventh.  Whereas,  other  moral  precepts  are  more 
readily  dis(  overaoie  from  the  light  of  nature.  Now, 
if  God  condescends  in  any  place,  and  at  any  time,  to 
give  the  reason  for  a  command,  we  might  expect  it 
would  be  at  the  time  of  its  first  promulgation.  In 
Gen.  ii.,  where  w^e  suppose  the  law  to  be  first  given, 
the  reason  accompanies  it ;  but  in  the  passage  now 
under  consideration  it  does  not. 

Again,  it  is  nowhere  in  the  context  intimated  that 
the  object  of  giving  the- manna  was  to  make  know^n 
the  Sabbath      On  the.  contrary,  the  declared  object  of 


ARGUMENT    FROM    THE    DECALOGUE.  15 

supplying  their  wants  in  this  miraculous  manner,  was 
to  make  the  Israelites  know  that  it  was  the  Lord 
Jehovah  who  brought  them  out  of  Egypt,  v.  6,  and 
not  Moses  and  Aaron,  as  they  intimated,  v.  3,  to  make 
them  know  that  the  Lord  was  their  God,  \.  12,  and 
to  prove  them,  whether  they  would  manifest  their 
j^ratitude  for  his  merciful  interposition  in  their  favor, 
by  walking  in  his  law,  or  no,  v.  4.  This  was  the  ex- 
press and  primary  object.  To  make  known  the  Sab- 
bath is  not  even  hinted  as  having  been  the  subordi- 
nate, much  less  the  ^n72c?/>«/ object. 

Section  II. 

ARGUMENT    FROM    THE    DECALOGUE. 

We  commenced  this  essay  with  the  design  of  show- 
ing that  the  Sabbath  is  a  necessary  part  of  the  immu- 
table law  of  God — that  law  w4iich  is  "  holy,  and  just, 
and  good  ;"  which  is  "  spiritual  ;"  to  which  nothing 
is  opposed  but  that  which  is  carnal.  Hitherto,  we 
have  rested  none  of  our  proofs  upon  the  fact,  that  it 
was  incorporated  in  the  Decalogue  ;  that  it  is  one  of 
the  TEN  WORDS  "  which  God  spake  in  the  Mount,  out 
of  the  midst  of  the  fire,  of  the  cloud,  and  of  the  thick 
darkness,  with  a  great  voice  ;  and  he  added  no  more." 
Deut.  v.  22.  For  to  assume  that  the  Decalogue,  as 
such,  is  the  moral  law,  and  that  the  Sabbath,  because 
it  makes  a  part  of  it,  is  therefore  everlastingly  bind- 
ing, may  not  be  satisfactory  to  some  of  our  readers. 

That  the  Decalogue,  as  such,  held  a  peculiar  aspect 
towards  the  Jews,  different  from  that  which  it  holds 
towards  any  others,  is  freely  admitted.  It  made  a 
part  of  their  civil  code  ;  it  was  incorporated  Vvilh 
their  political  laws,  and,  therefore,  temporal  penalties 
were  annexed,  which  were  inflicted  by  the  civil  ma 


16  THE    SABBATH. 

gistrate.  Offences  against  the  most  of  its  precepts 
were  punishable  by  death,  Sabbath-breaking  not  ex- 
cepted. Hence  some  contend  that  these  precepts 
ought  not  to  be  called,  by  way  of  eminence,  "  the 
Moral  Law  ;"  that  the  fact  of  their  having  been 
graven  upon  slone,  and  given  under  circumstances  of 
greater  pomp  and  glory  than  the  other  precepts  of  the 
Old  Testament,  constitutes  no  solid  argument  for  their 
being  so  called.  The  greater  glory  of  their  promul- 
gation from  the  Mount  of  God,  is  supposed  to  be 
sufficiently  accounted  for,  by  considering  them  as  the 
Constitution^  or  Grand  Platform^  upon  which  was 
based  the  whole  of  that  system  which  was  peculiar 
to  the  Jews.  The  Decalogue,  therefore,  is  supposed 
to  bear  about  the  same  relation  to  the  other  precepts 
spoken  by  Moses,  as  constitution  bears  to  statute  laio. 
This  view  is  thought  to  be  favored  by  those  passages 
which  call  the  stone  tables  "  the  tables  of  the  Cove- 
nant." Heb.  ix.  4.  Hence,  as  they  say,  the  Cove 
nant  being  abrogated,  the  tables  of  the  Covenant  are 
set  aside  also  ;  on  the  same  principle  that  when  a 
political  government  is  dissolved  the  constitution  is 
of  no  farther  use. 

Upon  this  seemingly  plausible  argument  we  offer 
the  following  remarks  : 

1.  Admitting  that  the  Decalogue  is  the  grand  con- 
stitution of  the  Jewish  polity,  and  that  it  has  an  ex- 
cellence over  the  other  precepts  spoken  by  Moses, 
precisely  like  that  of  constitution  over  statute  law  ; 
still  we  think  it  cojld  not,  in  the  nature  of  things,  be 
any  thing  less  than  a  code  of  morals.  There  was  a 
necessity  of  the  strongest  kind,  that  it  should  embody 
all  the  essential  elements  of  the  moral  law.  For,  as 
obedience  to  statute  law  must  proceed  from  constitu- 
tional principles,  so  the  obedience  of  the  Israehtes  to 
the  whole  system  of  Moses  must  proceed  upon  moral 


ARGUMENT    FROM    THE    DECALOGUK  17 

footing.  Any  other  obedience  than  this — any  obedi- 
ence which  is  of  an  inferior  kind,  God  does  not  re- 
quire, and  cannot,  consistently  with  his  holy  nature. 
Ps'o  matter  what  is  the  nature  of  the  precepts  He  gives, 
obedience  to  them  must  be  upon  moral  principle.  A 
love  for  the  great  principles  of  righteousness  must  Ve- 
gulate  it  all  ;  for  this  only  is  the  pledge  that  they  will 
rigidly,  and  without  deviation,  conform  to  any  system 
that  He  enjoins  upon  them.  Therefore,  the  Moral 
Law,  or  rather  the  essential  elements  of  it,  go  before 
all  the  other  laws  He  gave  to  the  children  of  Israel. 
If  they  w^ill  keep  this  law,  which  they  promised  to  do, 
Exod.  xix.  8,  it  is  a  pledge  that  they  will  keep  all  the 
rest. 

2.  Though  the  covenant  character  of  the  Decalogue 
is  abolished,  by  reason  of  the  Sinaitic  Covenant  being 
entirely  abrogated,  the  moral  character  of  it  remains 
untouched,  and  just  the  same  as  it  was  before  a  cove- 
nant was  based  upon  it.  Hence,  though  we  are  under 
no  covenant  obligation  to  its  precepts,  w^e  are  under 
a  moral  obligation  to  them.  The  Jews  were  under  a 
covenant  obligation  to  the  Decalogue,  brought  upon 
them  by  the  transaction  at  Sinai.  But  Jews  and 
Gentiles  were  alike  under  moral  obligation  to  its  pre- 
cepts, antecedently  to  the  covenant  made  at  Sinai. 
Let  men  learn  to  distinguish  between  covenant  obli- 
gation and  moral  obligation,  and  they  will  have  no 
difficulty  on  th's  point.* 

3.  If  the  covenant  character  of  the  Decalogue  is 
abolished,  and  all  covenant  obligation  destroyed  along 
with  it,   of  course  those   temporal  penalties  which 

*  "  The  Decalogue,  as  to  the  form  of  it,  and  as  delivered 
through  the  hand  and  ministry  of  Moses,  only  concerned  that 
people  (Israel),  and  was  calculated  for  their  use  ;  though,  as  to 
the  matter  of  it,  and  so  far  as  it  is  of  a  moral  nature,  and  agrees 
with  the  law  and  light  of  nature,  it  is  equally  binding  on  the 
Gentiles."— X»r.  Gill. 


18  THE    SABBATH. 

were  annexed  to  its  precepts  are  also  abolished.  But 
the  moral  penalty,  the  death  of  the  soul,  remains  to 
be  inilicted  upon  every  impenitent  transgressor 
Hence  the  Sabbath-breaker,  as  well  as  the  idolator, 
the  profane  swearer,  and  the  adulterer,  though  not 
obnoxious  to  death,  as  the  despiser  of  Moses'  law,  is 
yet  obnoxious  to  the  curse  of  God,  and  must  inherit  it 
by  being  punished  with  everlasting  destruction  from 
His  presence,  and  from  the  glory  of  His  power. 

What  is  it  then  ?  Not  only  do  the  ten  command- 
ments possess  a  moral  character,  independent  of  their 
inscription  upon  the  stone  tablets,  as  the  grand  con- 
stitutional platform  of  the  Jewish  Theocracy ;  but 
they  possess  this  moral  character  because  they  com- 
pose this  constitution.  For  the  constitution,  as  we 
have  already  proved,  could  not,  in  the  nature  of  things, 
be  any  thing  else  than  a  summary  of  moral  precepts. 
Therefore,  as  the  Sabbath  is  one  of  these  precepts,  it 
is  a  part  of  the  moral  law,  and  remains  of  everlasting 
force  and  obligation. 

In  our  defense  of  the  ten  commandments,  we  do 
not  '*  contradistinguish  them  from  the  rest  by  calling 
the  former  exclusively  ^Ae  moral  law,  and  all  the  other 
divine  instructions  of  the  Jews,  through  Moses,  the 
ceremonial  law."  We  not  only  admit,  but  strongly 
insist,  that  moral  duties  are  inculcated  elsewhere  be- 
sides in  the  Decalogue.  "  When  the  Jews  are  told, 
Exod.  xxii.  22,  Ve  shall  not  afflict  any  widow  or  fa- 
therless child,  we  need  no  scholastic  definitions  to 
enable  us  to  recognize  this  as  a  part  of  the  moral 
code."*  But  we  do  suppose  that  the  Decalogue 
comprises  the  elementary  principles  of  the  moral  law. 
We  suppose,  that  whatever  moral  duty  is  inculcated 
elsewhere,  it  is  deducible  from  one  or  other  of  the  ten 

*  Bap.  Advocate  of  Jan.  16,  1841 


ARGUMENT    FROM    THE    DECALOGUE.  19 

commandments.  We  can  hardly  imagine  a  single 
condition  in  \vhich  it  is  possible  for  man  to  be  placed 
in  this  life,  or  a  relation  that  he  sustains,  which  is  not 
cognizable  by  this  code. 

Our  doctrine  receives  strength  from  the  prominence 
given  to  the  Decalogue  in  the  New  Testament.  No 
small  degree  of  honor  is  put  upon  it  by  the  Savior,  in 
his  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  an  in^portant  part  of  that 
celebrated  discourse  being  occupied  with  expositions 
of  its  precepts,  and  applications  of  them  to  the  con- 
duct of  men,  as  the  subjects  of  God's  moral  govern- 
ment. Again,  when  the  young  man  came  to  Christ, 
and  asked,  "  What  good  thing  shall  1  do  that  I  may 
inherit  eternal  life,"  he  was  told  to  keep  the  com- 
mandments. That  by  these  M^ere  meant  the  precepts 
of  the  Decalogue,  is  evident  from  the  Savior's  imme- 
diately beginning  to  quote  those  precepts.  Matt.  xix. 
16 — 19.  The  fact  that  they  were  enjoined  with  re- 
ference to  eternal  life,  proves  conclusively  that  their 
bearing  was  not  merely  upon  the  conduct  of  men  as 
citizens  of  the  Jewish  commonwealth,  but  upon  their 
conduct  as  moral  and  accountable  creatures.*  Again, 
when  the  Apostle  inculcates  those  duties  which  are 
the  mark  of  love  to  our  neighbor,  he  quotes  the  pre- 
cepts of  the  second  table  of  the  Decalogue.  Rom. 
xiii.  9.  It  is  evident,  also,  that  Paul  refers  particu- 
larly to  the  Decalogue  as  the  law  which  convinced 
him  of  sin.  Rom.  vii.  7.  For  he  cites  the  tenth 
precept  of  it,  as  showing  him  that  strong  desire  after 
Aings  forbidden  is  sin.  This  is  the  commandment 
iV^hich,  being  powerfully  applied  to  his  heart,  made 
^in  to   revive,  and  he  died:  ver.  9.     Hence  he  in- 

♦  Christ  inculcates  only  the  precepts  of  the  second  table  of  the 
law,  not  because  they  are  of  more  importance  than  those  of  the 
nrst.  but  because  they  are  less  easily  counterfeited.  Such  duties 
are  oy  far  too  weighty  to  be  permanently  sustained  by  the  hollow- 
heartedness  of  the  hypocrite. 


20  THE    SABBATH. 

eludes  the  Decalogue,  when  he  speaks  of  that  law 
which  is  "spiritual,  and  holy,  and  just,  and  good  :" 
vs.  12,  14;  lo  which  the  carnal  mind,  refusing  sub- 
jection, is  therefore  enmity  against  God.  Rom.  viii 
7.  One  more  example.  Paul  writing,  not  to  Jews, 
but  to  converts  from  among:  the  Gentiles,  recognizes 
the  usual  arrangement  of  the  Decalogue,  and  its  va- 
lidity as  a  rule  of  duty  under  the  Gospel,  when  he 
says,  concerning  filial  obedience,  that  it  is  the  first 
commandment  which  has  a  promise  annexed  to  it. 
Eph.  vi.  1,2.  In  the  following  verse  he  states  what 
the  promise  is,  presenting  it  as  a  motive  to  obedience. 
This  proves  that  no  commandment  had  been  changed 
or  dispossessed  of  its  place. 

In  asserting  the  importance  of  the  Decalogue,  the 
reader  will  observe  that  we  do  not  particularly  insist 
upon  the  manner  and  circumstances  of  its  promulga 
tion.  We  dwell  not  upon  the  fact  of  its  having  been 
written  with  God's  own  finger  upon  stone,  while 
Mosaic  institutions  were  engrossed  by  Moses  himself 
upon  parchment.  We  dwell  not  upon  the  thunJer- 
ings,  lightnings,  thick  clouds,  the  loud  blast  of  the 
trumpet,  and  the  voice  of  Jehovah  from  the  midst  of 
the  fire  ;  all  which  conspire  to  throw  around  the  ten 
commandments  a  glory  not  belonging  to  the  ceremo 
nial  precepts.  These  things  Ave  pass,  aware  that 
men  will  evade  the  argument  from  them,  by  the  sup. 
position  that  they  prove  nothing  more  than  that  kind 
of  superiority  which  the  constitution  of  a  state  has 
over  statute  law.  We  can  hardly  refrain,  however, 
from  observing,  as  we  pass,  that  as  the  ark  was  the 
throne  of  God,  Exod.  xxv.  22,  Num.  vii.  S9,  xvii.  4, 
Ps.  xcix.  1 — it  is  difficult  to  conceive  how  righteous- 
ness and  judgment  were  the  habitation  of  his  throne, 
Ps  xcvii.  2,  if  the  "  ten  words"  which  were  there 
deposit*»d  were  not  designed  to  be  an  expression  of 


ARGUMKNT  FROM    THE    DKCALOGUE-  2l 

His  perfections,  and  the  eternal  rule  of  right  to  His 
creatures. 

13jt  we  think  we  have  placed  the  morality  of  the 
Dc'calo-rue  upon  grounds  that  cannot  be  successfully 
disputed.  Having  thus  secured  it,  we  advert  to  the 
foreo^oing  circumstances,  not  as  direct  proof  of  the 
truth  of  our  argument,  but  as  so  much  collateral  evi- 
dence. There  is  one  circumstance,  however,  which 
ought  not  to  be  passed  over  lightly.  The  tables  of 
stone  were  deposited  in  the  ark,  and  covered  over  by 
the  mercy  seat.  On  the  great  day  of  atonement,  when 
the  High  Prii^st  entered  into  the  Most  Holy,  he 
sprinkled  the  blood  of  the  sacrifice  upon  this  mercy 
seat,  and  upon  the  floor  before  it,  thus  making  an 
atonement  for  the  sins  of  the  people.  But  did  ibis 
blood  in  reality  atone  for  the  sins  of  the  people  against 
that  law  which  was  concealed  under  the  mercy  seat  ? 
No.  Not  only  was  it  no  atonement  for  moral  oliences, 
Heb.  X.  4,  but  it  was  not  even  an  atonement  for  their 
political  violation  of  this  code.  For  such  violation, 
in  regard  to  most  of  its  precepts,  was  a  capital  crime, 
and  could  not  be  expiated  under  that  covenant.  The 
whole  process,  therefore,  was  typical  or  prefigurative 
of  the  grand  atonement  made  for  the  sins  of  the 
world  by  Jesus  Christ,  the  High- Priest  of  our  pro- 
fession. Heb.  iii.  1.  The  argument  derived  from  it 
in  favor  of  the  Decalogue  is,  that  what  tlie  law  by  its 
offerings  could  not  do,  God,  sending  his  own  son  in  the 
likeness  of  sinful  flesh,  and  for  sin,  condemned  sin  in 
the  flesh.  Rom.  viii.  3.  For  Christ  enters  into  the 
Most  Holy,  even  unto  Heaven  itself,  with  his  own 
blood,  an.'i  tnakes  a  real  atonement  for  sins.  In  other 
words,  the  legal  sacrinces  could  not  reach  to  sins 
against  the  Decalosjue,  but  Christ's  sacrifice  did,  and 
therefore  the  superiority  of  the  gospel  over  the  law  is 
fully  established.     But  the  whole  argumem  for  the 


22  THE    SABBATH. 

superiority  of  the  Christian  sacrifice  becomes  null  and 
void,  on  the  supposition  that  the  atonement  had  re- 
ference to  any  other  law  than  the  Decalogue. 

Wow  if  the  Decalogue,  as  a  whole,  has  a  claim  to 
be  called  a  summary  of  the  moral  law,  the  Sabbath 
derives  in  this  M'ay  no  small  degree  of  authority.  For 
it  is  a  very  important  part  of  the  Ten  Words,  standing 
right  in  the  very  heart  of  them,  and  bound  up  along 
with  them  ;  so  that,  whatever  dignity  and  excellence 
the  rest  have,  this  has  also.  We  are,  therefore, driven 
to  the  conclusion,  that  when  the  Savior  says,  "  One 
jot  or  one  tittle  shall  in  no  wise  pass  from  the  law," 
the  Sabbath  is  alluded  to  as  much  as  any  other  pre- 
cept. That  when  the  Apostle  teaches,  the  law  is  not 
made  void  through  faith,  Rom.  iii.  31,  he  means, 
among  other  things,  that  the  Sabbath  is  not  made 
void  by  the  gospel,  but  rather  established.  That 
when  he  says  "  the  law  is  spiritual,"  Rom.  vii.  14,  he 
means  that  the  Sabbath  law,  as  well  as  all  other  pre- 
cepts, is  spiritual  ;  and  that  none  reject  it  but  those 
who  are  "  carnal,  sold  under  sin." 

But  we  shall  hear  it  objected,  that  the  fourth 
commandment  is  not  transferred  to  the  New  Testa- 
ment, and  re-enacted  there,  while  all  the  other  com- 
mandments are.  This,  however,  is  taking  a  wrong 
view  of  the  case,  altogether.  The  truth  is,  that  no 
moral  precept  is  re-enacted  in  the  New  Testament. 
What  necessity  is  there  for  re-enacting  laws  which 
never  expired :  The  very  notion  of  re-enacting  im- 
plies their  previous  expiration.  Wherefore,  if  those 
precepts  of  the  moral  law  which  we  find  in  the  New 
Testament  are  there  for  no  other  reason  than  because 
they  are  re-enacted,  it  follows  that  they  must  have 
expired  with  the  Old  Covenant.  If  they  expir*ed 
with  it,  they  were  peculiar  to  it,  and  must  have  had 
their  origin  in  it.     If  they   were  peculiar  to  it,  and 


ARGUMEMT    FROM    THE    DECALOGUE.  23 

originated  in  it,  then  all  obligation  to  obey  them  was 
merely  covenant  obligation,  while  moral  or  natural 
obligation  is  supposed  to  have  had  no  existence. 
But  this  conclusion  is  an  absurdity,  and  if  carried  out 
still  farther,  leads  to  multiplied  absurdities. 

Whatever  laws  are  enacted  in  the  New  Testament, 
are  altogether  new  and  peculiar  to  that  covenant  of 
which  Jesus  is  the  mediator.  They  emanated  from 
him  in  his  character  of  Head  of  the  Church.  Baptism 
is  one  of  them.  It  is,  how^ever,  a  new  institution, 
peculiar  to  the  ^ew  Covenant,  and  v^as  not  brought 
over  from  the  old.  The  Lord's  Supper  is  another, 
yet  it  is  a  new  Covenant  ordinance  entirely,  and 
therefore,  like  baptism,  is  to  be  observed  only  by  be- 
lievers. But  as  for  the  re-enacting  of  laws,  it  is  a 
thing  altogether  unknown  in  the  New  Covenant,  and 
inconsistent  with  its  nature. 

The  notion  of  the  necessity  of  re-enacting  the  Sab- 
bath in  the  New  Testament,  arises  altogether  from 
supposing  that  it  is  a  covenant  institution  or  church 
ordinance.  But  if  it  is  a  church  ordinance,  it  can  be 
binding  upon  none  but  believers  ;  on  the  same  prin- 
ciple that  the  ordinances  of  the  Mosaic  church  were 
binding  upon  none  but  Jews.  Is  any  one  prepared 
to  take  this  ground  ?  We  think  not.  Those  who 
acknowledge  the  necessity  of  any  Sabbath  whatever, 
consider  the  observance  of  it  a  duty  devolving  upon 
men  irrespective  of  their  connection  with  the  church, 
binding  them  in  the  isolated  and  individual  capacity, 
even  though  church  privileges  were  altogether  out  of 
the  question.  Were  an  individual  abiding  in  some 
lone  cavein  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  or  roaming  the 
uninhabited  and  trackless  wastes  of  the  earth,  far,  far 
from  scenes  of  busy  life,  the  law  of  God  still  binds 
him  "  to  remember  the  Sabbath-day  to  keep  it  holy." 

The  truth  is,  the  Sabbath  is  not  properly  an  ordi- 


24  THE    SABBATH 

nance  of  either  of  the  covenants.  It  originated  in 
neither  of  them,  but  was  in  existence  lono;  before  any 
covenant  was  revealed  to  man.  Hence,  after  the  Old 
Covenant  was  abrogated,  it -remained  just  what  it 
was  before.  So  that  if,  in  the  history  of  the  New 
Covenant,  or  what  is  commonly  called  the  New 
Testament,  there  was  not  one  word  of  allusion  to  the 
Sabbath  in  particular,  it  would  not  afiect  the  argu 
ment  in  the  least.* 

*  Most  writers  on  this  subject,  though  they  admit  the  rriorahty 
of  the  SaDbrith,  and  the  claims  it  has  upon  ail  men  indiscrinii- 
nat'ly,  appear  to  rea>on  in  a  manner  entirely  dilfereni,  when 
they  come  to  contend  for  a  change  from  the  seventh  to  the  first 
day  of  the  week.  Their  arguments,  which  before  were  predi 
caied  upon  the  nature  and  fitness  of  thing.-,  and  the  requirements 
of  (Tod,  as  the  natural  Lawgiver  of  mnnkind,  av3  suddenly 
changed  and  based  upon  the  new  dispensation  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Now  this  is  an  inconsiii^tency  ;  but  it  is  one  to  which  thev  are  ne 
ces-sarily  driven,  in  order  to  give  plausibility  to  the  cluims  of 
their  new  Sabbath.  The  fact  that  Christ  introduced  a  new  dis- 
pensation, does  not  argue  a  change  of  the  Sabbath,  or  an  insti- 
tution of  a  new  one,  unless  it  chu  be  proved  that  the  old  Sab- 
bath was  a  church  ordinance.  If  it  was,  then,  as  there  is  a  new 
church  state,  of  course  we  must  look  for  new  church  ordi- 
nancps. 

How,  then,  will  it  be  proved,  that  the  old  Sabbath  was  a 
church  ordinance  1  Will  it  be  said  that  the  observance  of  it  was 
indispensable  to  membership  in  the  Jcwuh  church  1  Very  true. 
Bui  the  same  may  be  said  of  the  laws  concerning  murder,  and 
theft,  and  adultery.  Yet  these  were  not,  properly  speaking, 
church  ordinances.  Concernmg  these  things  men  were  bound, 
though  no  church  had  ever  existed.  The  sin  of  murder  lay  at 
Cain's  door,  long  before  any  church  was  formed.  The  earth  was 
corrupt  before  God,  and  the  earth  was  filled  with  violence,  before 
the  .Tews  were  organized  into  a  church;  and  the  sin  of  dishonor- 
ing his  father  blackened  the  character  of  Ham,  long  before  the 
fifth  commandment  was  published  from  Sinai.  So,  too,  the 
Sabbiith  was  set  apart  by  God  sanctifying  it  and  blessing  it,  more 
thun  two  thousand  yea"^  before  it  entered  into  the  statute  law  of 
Israel.     It  cannot,  therefore,  be  a  cliurch  ordinance. 

Will  it  be  said,  that  the  Sabbath,  though  not  altogether  a 
church  ordinance,  is  neverlhele.=s  so  in  part  1  If  this  can  be  esta- 
blished, then  certainly  so  much  of  it  as  partook  of  this  charac- 
ter must  neces.'^arily  have  been  abolished  by  the  death  of  Christ 
and  that  p  irt  only  remains  which  had  no  such  character.  But  1 
ask,  what  part  of  the  Sabbath  l<?.w  can  claim  to  be  a  church  or- 


POSITIVE    INSTITUTIONS.  25 

But  is  it  true,  that  tlie  Sabbath  is  not  sanctioned 
by  the  New  Testament  ?  What  means  our  Savior's 
course  in  regulating  the  manner  of  its  observance,  in 
vindicating  it  from  Pharisaic  austerities,  determining 
what  is  lawful  to  be  done,  &c..  Matt.  xii.  1 — 13.  It 
can  mean  nothing  else  than  sanctioning  it,  as  a  precept 
of  the  moral  law,  as  we  have  already  shown  in  our 
remarks  upon  this  text,  p.  10.  But  even  if  'his 
express  sanction  were  wholly  w^anting,  inasmuch  as 
it  is  a  part  of  the  moral  law,  as  we  have  clearly  proved, 
it  stands  firm,  unaltered,  and  unalterable,  receiving, 
from  the  very  nature  of  the  case,  all  the  sanction  of 
the  New  Covenant.  It  is  impossible  for  the  New 
Covenant  to  affect  it  in  any  other  way  than  to  strength 
en  and  uphold  it. 


Section  III. 

RELATION  OF  THE  SABBATH  TO  POSITIVE  INSTITUTIONS 

Is  there  then  no  difference  between  the  law  of  the 
Sabbath  and  the  other  precepts  of  the  decalogue  } 
We  do  not  mean  to  say  there  is  no  difference  what- 
ever. There  is  something  in  it  which  partakes  of  the 
nature   of  a  positive  institution ^  as   theologians   are 

dinance,  peculiar  to  the  old  dispensatiorx.  It  will  be  said  that  the 
particular  day  of  the  week  set  apart  for  observance,  was  such. 
This,  as  all  the  world  confesses,  was  the  seventh  in  dittincrioii 
from  every  other.  But  the  same  rule  which  determines  every 
other  part  of  the  Sabbath  law  to  be  something  else  than  a  church 
ordinance,  detei-mines  the  same  thing  with  regard  to  the  seventh 
day  of  the  weeK^.  If  the  Sabbath  was  not  a  church  ordinance, 
but  obligatory  upon  all  men  indiscriminately,  long  before  any 
church  existed,  the  same  is  true  of  the  seventh  dyy  of  the  week. 
One  part  of  the  law  was  not  brought  into  existence  without  the 
other,  nor  one  part  before  the  other.  We  conclude,  therefore, 
that  the  particular  day  which  was  consecrated,  partook  no  more 
of  the  nature  of  a  church  ordinance,  than  all  the  rest  of  the  law 
did. 


26  THE    SABBATH. 

pleased  to  term  it.  Positive  institutions  are  generally 
considered  to  be  such  as  are  not  discoverable  by  the 
light  of  nature,  their  obligation  resting  upon  the  mere 
w^ill  of  the  Lawgiver.  While  on  the  other  hand,  mor- 
al precepts  are  supposed  to  be  ascertained  by  the  light 
of  nature,  and  to  be  binding  independently  of  any 
appointment  of  the  Lawgiver. 

We  are  free  to  admit  the  positive  nature  of  the 
Sabbatic  institution,  so  far  as  it  respects  the  particular 
day  to  be  observed,  and  the  proportion  of  time;  also 
as  it  respects  the  great  reason  on  which  the  law  is 
founded.  For  it  is  not  a  dictate  of  nature,  that  one 
seventh  part  of  time  is  more  holy,  or  has  any  more 
demand  upon  us  in  a  religious  way,  than  one  tenth, 
or  one  fifth,  or  any  other  proportion.  Nor  is  it  a  dic- 
tate of  nature,  that  God  created  the  world  in  six  days, 
and  rested  on  the  seventh,  blessing  and  sanctifying  it. 
The  light  of  nature,  it  is  true,  teaches  that  the  world 
was  created  by  eternal  Power  ;  but  it  gives  no  infor- 
mation of  the  time  occupied  in  it,  nor  of  the  fact  of 
■  is  resting  on  the  seventh  day,  after  it  was  finished, 
rherefore,  so  far  as  the  mere  light  of  nature  is  con- 
cerned, we  are  left  in  the  dark  respecting  what  con- 
stitutes the  very  foundation  of  the  institution. 

But  after  all,  we  very  much  doubt  the  propriety  of 
classing  all  those  precepts  which  we  cannot  discover 
by  the  mere  light  of  nature,  under  the  sweeping  name 
of  positive  institutions,  as  if  they  were  on  the  same 
level  with  the  passover,  circumcision,  the  ordinance 
of  the  red  heifer,  &c.  Indeed,  we  utterly  protest 
against  it,  if  the  intention  is  to  underrate  their  im- 
portance, or  to  depreciate  them  as  "  non-essential ^^^ 
according  to  the  cant  term  of  the  day.  For  what  in 
such  case  would  become  of  the  whole  system  of 
Christianity  itself.'  We  mean  the  system  of  appoint- 
ing a   Mediator,  and   the  redemption  of  the  world 


POSITIVE    INSTITUTIONS.  27 

through  him.  It  is  a  positive  institution,  that  is, 
purely  a  matter  of  revelalion,  and  wholly  undiscover- 
able  by  the  light  of  nature.  But  shall  we  therefore 
call  it  a  non-essential  ?  Shall  we  regard  it  as  some- 
thing of  minor  importance  in  comparison  with  the  reli- 
gion of  nature  ?  Does  it  not  devolve  upon  us  with 
obligations  just  as  strong  and  overwhelming  as  the 
moral  law  ?  Most  certainly  it  does  ;  not  only  because 
it  is  enjoined  by  the  same  authority,  but  also  because 
it  is  the  only  means  of  promoting  a  conformity  to  the 
moral  law.  The  same  may  be  said  of  all  positive  in- 
stitutions :  they  are  designed  to  promote  a  conformity 
first  to  that  dispensation  to  which  they  are  peculiar, 
and  second,  to  the  moral  law. 

Whoever  attempts  a  close  investigation  of  the  na- 
ture of  positive  institutions,  will  find  that  the  line  of 
separation  between  them  and  moral  duties,  is  not  al- 
ways so  easy  to  be  drawn  as  might  at  first  be  imagin- 
ed. We  say,  indeed,  that  the  former  are  not  discov- 
erable by  the  light  of  nature.  The  reason  of  that, 
however,  may  be,  not  because  they  do  not  in  reality- 
originate  in  the  nature  of  things,  but  merely  because 
our  powers  of  discovery  are  so  feeble.  Were  these 
powers  expanded,  and  the  range  of  our  intellectual 
vision  widened,  we  might  possibly  see  that  those  very 
institutions  we  call  positive,  grow  naturally  and  ne- 
cessarily out  of  the  relation  between  God  and  us. 
Not  only  might  we  see  the  reasons  of  positive  insti- 
tutions in  general,  (which  indeed  is  already  suffi- 
ciently obvious,)  but  with  such  enlarged  capacities, 
we  might  see  the  reason  why  such  particular  ones  are 
pitched  upon  rather  than  others.  The  real  difference 
between  moral  and  positive  duties  may,  after  an,'be 
nothing  more  than  this,  that  the  former  we  can  read- 
ily discover  for  ourselves,  narrow  as  the  range  of  our 
vision  is — while  the  latter,  we  are  so  short-sighted. 


28  THE  SABBATH. 

we  cannot  discover,  and  are  therefore  wholly  depend- 
ent on  revelation  for  them.  Hence  we  suppose  it  is 
assuming  more  than  can  be  proved,  when  it  is  argued 
that  positive  appointments  are  altogether  arbitrary, 
and  have  no  real  foundation  in  the  nature  and  fitness 
of  things.* 

Now  when  we  admit  that  the  Sabbath  is  a  positive 
institution,  we  mean  that  it  is  not  discoverable  by  the 
light  of  nature,  but  is  purely  a  matter  of  revelation  ; 
and  this  is  all  we  mean.  It  atill  possesses  the  main 
attributes  of  a  moral  precept.  For  as  we  have  al- 
ready shown,  any  duty  which  has  its  origin  in  the 
natural  relation  of  creature  to  Creator,  must  be  of  a 
moral   nature,  whether  we  can   discover  it  for  our- 

*  "  The  reason  of  positive  institutions  in  general,  is  very  obvi- 
ous ;  though  we  should  not  see  the  reason  why  such  particai&r 
ones  are  pitched  upon,  rather  than  others.  Whoever,  therefore, 
instead  of  caviling  at  words,  will  attend  to  the  thing  itself,  may 
clearly  see,  that  positive  institutions  in  general,  as  distinguished 
from  this  or  that  particular  one,  have  the  nature  of  moral  com- 
mands, since  the  reasons  of  them  appear.  Thus,  for  instance, 
the  external  worship  of  God  is  a  moral  duty,  though  no  particular 
mode  of  it  be  so.  Care  then  is  to  be  taken,  when  a  comparison 
is  made  between  moral  and  positive  duties,  that  they  be  com- 
pared no  farther  than  as  they  are  different — no  farther  than  as 
the  former  are  positive,  or  arise  out  of  mere  external  command, 
the  reasons  of  which  we  are  not  acquainted  with  ;  and  as  the 
latter  are  moral,  or  arise  out  of  the  apparent  reason  of  the  case, 
without  such  external  command.  Unless  this  caution  be  observ- 
ed, we  shall  run  into  endless  confusion." — Butlers  Analogy  of 
Religion  to  Nature.     Part  II.   Chap.l. 

It  is  very  commonly  said,  that  positive  institutions  are  change- 
able, and  therefore  are  unlike  moral  precepts,  which  are  un- 
changeable and  eternal  in  their  nature.  But  we  deny  that  positive 
precepts  are  changeable,  so  long  as  the  relation  subsists  in  which 
they  originate.  Such  positive  institutions  as  originated  in  the 
peculiar  relation  which  God  sustained  towards  the  .lews,  by  rea- 
son of  the  Sinaitic  covenant,  remained  unchanged  and  unchange- 
able so  long  as  that  relation  subsisted.  Such  us  originate  in  the 
relafton  He  sustains  towards  man  as  his  Kedeemer  through  Jesus 
Christ,  also  remain  unchangeable  so  long  as  such  relation  re- 
mairis.  On  the  same  principle^  such  as  originate  in  the  natural 
relation  He  bears  to  man  as  his  Creator,  remain  just  as  long  tf 
this  relation  exists ;  which  is  forever. 


POSITIVE    INSTITUTIONS.  29 

selves,  or  whether  by  reason  of  our  short-sightedness, 
we  are  altogether  dependent  on  revelation  for  it. 
That  suoh  i;s  the  origin  of  the  Sabbath  law,  is  plain 
from  the  most  casual  inspection  of  it.  It  grew  out  of 
God's  creating  the  world  in  six  days,  and  resting  on 
the  sevenih,  and  is  a  constant  memorial  of  it.  Besides, 
it  provides  for  the  performance  of  the  worship  of  God, 
which  is  confessedly  a  moral  duty  ;  w^iile  the  satis- 
faction it  yields  to  the  conscience  of  every  man,  is  a 
sufficient  indication  of  its  parity  with  other  moral 
precepts.* 

But  to  dismiss  all  further  argument  concerning  the 
distinction  between  moral  and  positive  duties,  let  it  be 
admitted  that  the  Sabbath  is  a  positive  institution  in 
the  very  strictest  sense ;  let  it  be  admitted  to  be  no- 
thing more  than  an  arbitrary  appointment,  having  no 
foundation  in  the  natural  and  primary  relation  of  man 
to  his  Creator — it  must  nevertheless  remain  in  force 
so  long  as  that  dispensation  lasts  to  which  it  is  pecu- 
liar. Hence  it  ij:ust  still  be  in  force  ;  for  tlip  dispen- 
sation to  which  it  belongs,  is  the  dispensation  of  na- 
ture itself.  While  the  dispensation  of  nature  lasts, 
the  day  w^hich  God  the  Creator  originally  "  blessed 
and  sanctified,"  will  continue  to  be  sacred.  It  is  ut- 
terly impossible  that  it  should  be  otherw^ise ;  and 
therefore  all  speculations  abo-ut  its  changeable  nature 

•  President  Dwight  observes,  [Sermon  185,]  "  The  distinctiori 
between  mwal  and  positive  commands,  has  been  less  clearlv  niiuie 
by  moral  writers  than  most  other  distinctions."  He  says  the  law 
of  t!ip  Sal-bath  is  entirely  of  a  moral  nature,  as  to  the  whole  end 
to  which  it  aims,  so  far  as  man  is  concerned  ;  that  "  it  makes  no 
diftereHce  here,  whether  we  could  have  known  it  without  infor- 
mation from  God,  that  one  day  in  seven  would  be  the  best  time 
and  furnish  the  be.<t  performance  of  these  [religious]  things,  or 
no.     It  is  SLifficient  that  we  know  them." 

"Til  decalogup  exh'bits  «;?cj-/f(;/  standard  of  morrality  ;  and  n 
standard  of  morality  not  providing  for  the  publhc  acRnow ledge- 
ment  and  stated  worship  of  God  as  the  Creator,  would  be  eattJi- 
tiaUy  defective.  ' — Parkinson's  Letters  to  Elder  IV.  B.  JMaxton. 


30  THE    SABBATH. 

resulting  from  its  being  a  positive  appointment,  are 
vain.  Changeable  and  positive  as  were  the  carnal 
ordinances  of  the  old  economy,  they  were  not  change- 
able while  that  economy  lasted,  but  were  sacred 
throughout  the  whole  of  it.  Changeable  and  positive 
as  are  the  ordinances  of  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per, they  are  not  changeable  while  the  dispensation 
to  which  they  belong  continues,  but  are  sacredly  bind- 
ing until  the  dispensation  ends.  So  of  the  Sabbath  ; 
yes,  even  of  the  very  day  originally  appointed. 

Customary  as  it  is  with  writers  to  draw  the  broad 
line  of  distinction  between  what  they  call  the  moral 
and  positive  parts  of  the  institution,  and  whatever  ad- 
vantage it  may  have  in  theory^  so  far  as  practice  is 
concerned,  nothing  is  gained  by  it.  Indeed,  with 
those  who  pretend  to  be  guided  by  divine  revelation, 
rather  than  by  the  unaided  deductions  of  their  own 
minds,  it  is  always  an  unnecessary  distinction.  He 
whose  heart  is  subdued  to  the  Avill  of  God,  will  not 
be  studious  to  inquire  which  of  his  commands  are  of 
a  moral,  and  which  of  a  positive  nature.  His  inquiry 
will  be  simply  this  :  "  Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me 
to  do  .^"  If  God  command,  he  will  obey,  let  the  na- 
ture of  the  command  be  what  it  will.  Were  man  left 
to  deduce  the  knowledge  of  his  duty  from  the  nature 
and  fitness  of  things,  without  the  aid  of  any  light  from 
above,  God  would  not  blame  him  if  he  should  wholly 
neglect  to  practice  tho.se  duties,  which  are  commonly 
called  positive.  All  that  would  be  required  of  him 
in  such  case,  would  be  the  practice  of  those  duties 
which  are  most  obviously  of  the  moral  kind.  But 
with  the  statute  book  of  Almighty  God  in  his  hand, 
he  stands  on  very  different  ground.  He  is  thus 
brought  under  obligation — yea,  under  moral  obliga- 
tion, to  esteem  all  the  divine  precepts  concerning  all 
things,  to  be  right.     Psalm  cxix.  12S 


ITS    IMPORTANCE.  31 


Section  IV. 

THE    IMPORTANCE    AND    NECESSITY    OF    THE    SABBATIC 
INSTITTITION. 

There  are  very  few  bearing  the  Christian  name — per- 
haps none  except  such  as  are  a  scandal  to  the  profes- 
sion— who  do  not  feel  the  importance  of  a  weekly  day 
of  rest,  which  shall  be  dedicated  to  the  service  of  the 
Most  High  God.  Whatever  may  be  their  scruples  in 
regard  to  the  application  of  the  term  Sabbath  to  such 
a  day,  and  though  they  may  suppose  that  it  is  not  to 
be  observed  according  to  the  rigorous  exactness  of  the 
ancient  law,  they  nevertheless  feel  that  it  would  be 
sapping  the  foundation  of  religion,  morality,  and  good 
order,  to  abolish  all  distinction  of  days,  leaving  none 
for  religious  and  moral  improvement.  Nay,  even 
those  who,  in  theory,  maintain  that  under  the  gospel 
all  days  are  alike,  still  feel — though  it  is  difficult  for 
them  to  account  for  it — that  their  theor}^  and  their 
experience  will  not  harmonize  together.  Their  very 
nature  calls  for  a  day  of  repose,  while  the  wants  of 
their  souls  are  so  clamorous  as  to  drive  them  to  some 
moral  and  religious  improvement  of  it.  If  they  heed 
not  these  monitions,  they  do  but  feel  some  aching  void, 
some  uneasy  distress,  wholly  unlike  those  peaceful 
feelings  which  result  from  a  due  improvement  of  the 
season.  Whatever  be  a  man's  theory^  he  feels  better 
when  he  sanctifies  one  day  in  seven  to  the  Lord  :  his 
body  feels  better — his  soul  feels  better.  This  feeling 
is  not  one  which  grows  out  of  the  airy  visions  of  a 
distempered  brain  ;  but  it  is  one  which  is  capable  of 
being  resolved  into  solid  arguments. 

Without  a  Sabbath,  it  would  be  utterly  impossible 
to  promote  the  interests  of  religion.  Were  there  no 
set  time  for  suspendinv^  the  business  of  the  world,  the 


32  •  THE    SABBATH. 

church  of  God  would  soon  lose  its  visibility,  and  hell 
obtain  complete  triumph  over  the  fallen  soul  of  man. 
Ministers  might  preach,  embodying  in  their  discourses 
the  most  powerful  reasoning,  and  garnishing  the  whole 
with  the  sweetest  flowers  of  rhetoric  ;  but,  to  whom 
would  they  preach  >  A  few,  of  exalted  piety,  who 
rejoice  in  the  sacred  testimonies  more  than  in  all  rich- 
es, and  who  feel  that  "  a  day  in  the  courts  of  the 
Lord  is  better  than  a  thousand,"  Psalm  Ixxxiv.  10, 
would  perhaps  be  there.  But  the  mass — the  throng 
— the  great  multitude — would  be  elsewhere.  They 
would  be  immersed  in  the  service  of  the  world,  their 
souls  perishing  for  lack  of  knowledge.  It  would  be 
impossible,  utterly  impossible  to  bring  the  word  of 
God  to  bear  upon  their  minds.  How  then  could  they 
be  saved  .''  For  faith  cometh  by  hearing,  and  hearing 
by  the  word  of  God,  Rom.  x.  17.  And  if  men  are  not 
brought  to  believe  the  gospel,  what  bcL'omes  of  the 
church  .?  Its  visibility  is  gone — the  gates  of  hell 
have  prevailed  against  it.  But  God  has  swo;  n  that 
the  church  shall  stand  ;  nay,  that  all  nations  shall 
flow  unto  it,  Isa.  ii.  2.  Wherefore,  He  who  said  "  the 
gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it,"  Matt.  xvi. 
18,  is  also  Lord  of  the  Sabbath  for  the  benefit  of  the 
church.  As  Lord  of  the  Sabbath,  he  will  forever 
perpetuate  an  institution  so  necessary  to  the  interests 
of  his  kingdom. 

This  object— the  promotion  of  Zion's  welfare — could 
not  be  aocomplished,  unless  the  day  were  strictly  a 
Sabbath  ;  that  is,  a  day  of  rest  from  all  sorts  of  work. 
It  is  not  sufficient  that  the  day  be  merely  an  honorable 
day — a  notable  season,  or  a  day  for  holding  religious 
meetings.  If  men  are  not  obliged  to  intermit  their 
worldly  business,  and  that  too  by  the  expr^^ss  autho- 
rity of  God,  they  Avdl  give  themselves  Dut  little  trou- 
ble to  repair  to  a  place  of  worship.     Or  even  should 


ITS    IMPORTANCE.  33 

they  go,  their  minds  would  be  so  filled  with  the  world, 
that  the  instructions  from  the  desk  would  be  as  seed 
cast  upon  the  way  side.  Even  with  regard  to  the 
Christian  himself,  how  could  the  life  of  God  be  main- 
tained in  his  soul,  by  an  attention  to  religious  duties 
just  barely  for  the  short  space  allotted  to  the  public 
assembly?  It  would  be  impossible.  His  soul  would 
be  eaten  up  by  the  world.  Public  opportunities  must 
be  followed  up  by  secret  prayer,  and  close  meditation 
in  the  sacred  word.  For  this,  one  entire  day  in  seven 
is  little  enough.  The  experience  of  all  devoted  Chris- 
tians— let  their  theory  about  the  vSabbath  be  what  it 
may — has  taugbt  them,  that  nothing  less  will  suffice 
to  keep  their  souls  in  prosperity  and  health. 

It  appears,  then,  that  we  need  just  such  a  Sabbath 
as  the  fourth  commandment  enjoins  ;  one,  the  law  of 
which  is,  "  in  it  thou  shalt  not  do  any  work,  thou, 
nor  thy  son,  nor  thy  daughter,  nor  thy  man-servant, 
nor  thy  maid-servant,  nor  thy  cattle,  nor  thy  stranger 
that  is  within  thy  gates."  If  the  great  object  of  evan- 
gelizing men,  and  bringing  them  to  the  knowledge  and 
worship  of  Jehovah  cannot  be  accomplished  with  any 
thing  less  than  one  entire  day  in  seven,  sanctified  for 
the  purpose,  then  unquestionably  we  need  a  Sabbath. 
It  is  therefore  fair  to  presume,  that  the  Sabbath  of  the 
Decalogue  was  given  with  special  reference  to  man's 
necessities,  and  was  not  a  mere  shadow  to  be  annull- 
ed for  the  weakness  and  unprofitableness  thereof. 

The  Sabbath  is  necessary  to  promote  the  growth 
and  strength  of  the  moral  principle.  A  man  may 
render  obedience  to  all  the  other  precepts  of  the  moral 
Isiw  ;  we  may  suppose  them  to  be  written  on  his  heart ; 
we  may  even  suppose  them  to  be  so  perf^^ctly  wrought 
into  the  temper  and  texture  of  his  soul,  that  there  is 
no  deviation  whatever.     By  his  obedience  he  gives 


34  THE   SABBATH. 

evidence  of  being  in  possession  of  the  great  principle 
of  tidiness.  But  this  principle  lives  not  by  its  own 
inherent  vitality  ;  it  must  be  nourished  and  fed  con- 
tinually, or  i't  withers  and  dies.  However  holy,  how- 
ever perfect  the  creature  may  be,  he  possesses  no  self- 
replenishing,  self-renovating  principle, — he  must  con- 
stantly resort  to  the  great  uncreated  source  for  new 
supplies.  The  contrary  supposition  makes  him  inde- 
pendent of  his  Maker.  Now  the  Sabbath  is  the  sea- 
son set  apart  and  sanctified  by  God  Almighty  for  this 
very  purpose.  It  is  the  means  of  grace  for  keeping 
alive  the  great  moral  principle — the  season  when  the 
creature  goes  right  up  to  the  Great  Fountain,  and 
drinks  of  its  invigorating  streams,  whereby  he  comes 
forth  rejoicing  as  a  strong  man  to  run  a  race.  Hence 
we  find  that  even  when  man  was  innocent ;  when  he 
was  in  possession  of  the  .moral  principle  to  perfection, 
still  he  was  not  left  without  a  Sabbath  season  for  the 
replenishing  of  his  spiritual  powers.  If  he  needed  a 
Sabbath  then,  much  more  does  he  need  it  now.  For 
though  he  has  be'en  created  anew"  in  Christ  Jesus, — 
the  principle  of  holiness  being  thus  re-implanted — yet 
has  he  a  harder  task  to  live  holy  to  the  Lord,  inas- 
much as  there  is  "  a  law  in  his  members  warring 
against  the  law  of  his  mind,"  "  the  flesh  lusting 
against  the  spirit."  Therefore  he  needs  all  the  aid 
the  Sabbath  can  bring  to  his  soul.  He  needs  "the 
restoring,  the  awakening  day — the  day  of  recovery 
and  reformation — the  day  that  brings  him  back  to  re- 
collection, to  seriousness  to  penitence,  to  prayer." 
And  when  the  last  traces  of  sin  shall  have  become  ob- 
hterated,and  man  put  in  possession  of  all  that  perfec- 
tion w^hich  pertains  to  the  glorified  state;  still  that 
perfection,  we  believe,  will  not  be  sustained  by  its 
own  vitality,  but  will  be  preserved  by  means  hav- 


ITS    IMPORTANCE.  M 

^ng  a  similarity  to  those  employed  on  earth.     For  it 
is  an  everlasting  Sabbath  there,  Heb.  vi.  9.      Yes, 

" there's  a  nobler  rest  above, 

To  which  our  lab'ring  souls  aspire. 
With  ardent  pangs  ot  strong  desire." 

But  that  the  great  importance  of  the  Sabbatic  In- 
stitution may  be  more  distinctly  felt,  let  it  be  blotted 
out  from  existence.  Not  only  let  the  day  which  God 
himself"  sanctified  and  blessed,"  be  disregarded  ;  but 
let  there  be  no  day  whatever  devoted  as  a  season  of 
rest  and  religious  improvement.  Let  every  thing 
which  has  the  least  semblance  of  the  Sabbatic  rest 
be  annihilated.  What  now  is  the  state  of  morals  .'' 
What  kind  of  order  prevails  in  society  ?  Why,  men 
are  not  ashamed  when  they  commit  abomination, 
neither  can  they  blush.  They  can  glory  in  their 
shame,  and  hell  seems  to  be  let  loose.  What  is  true 
of  communities,  is  also  true  of  individuals.  Such  as 
have  disregarded  all  seasons  and  opportunities  for  in- 
struction in  those  principles  which  serve  as  restraints 
upon  the  heart,  have  proceeded  from  bad  to  worse  ; 
have  become  perfect  pests  of  society,  the  ringleaders 
of  all  wickedness,  at  the  head  of  every  miscreant 
gang,  foaming  out  their  own  shame,  and  ending  their 
career  in  a  prison  or  on  the  gallows.  Witness  the 
porr  criminal,  as  he  stands  on  the  dividing  line  be- 
tween time  and  eternity,  and  his  long-slumbering 
conscience  wakes  up,  and  begins  to  speak  out  its 
thunders.  What  does  he  say  in  that  dread  moment, 
when  he  feels  that  the  eye  of  God  is  directly  upon 
him  ?  What ! — Why,  that  in  the  beginning  of  his 
career,  all  the  powers  of  his  nature  called  him  to  a 
day  of  rest,  and  warned  him  not  to  trample  upon  sea- 
sons devoted  to  moral  and  religious  improvement  ; — 
that  he  disregarded  these  monitions,  until  at  length 
the  voice  of  conscience  was  hushed  in  silence,  and 


tir  THE    SABBATH. 

the  work  of  death  was  easy.  Therefore,  sa,ys  he, 
I  am  a  ruined  man.  Reader,  when  you  contem- 
plate such  facts,  can  you  say  that  a  Sabbath  is  not 
necessary  ?  Do  you  not  see  that  the  obliteration  of 
it  is  the  brand  upon  the  forehead  of  morality  ? 

Need  we,  in  this  little  essay,  pause  to  consider  the 
bearing  of  the  Sabbath  upon  the  temporal  welfare  of 
man  ?  It  is  a  matter  so  obvious,  that  we  are  almost 
ashamed  to  muke  it  the  subject  of  a  separate  para- 
graph. It  is  a  fact  well  attested  by  experience,  that 
the  human  fiame  sinks  under  uninterrupted  toil.  The 
utmost  productive  labor  of  man  is  in  the  proportion 
of  six  days  exertion  to  one  of  repose.  So  that  the 
Sabbath,  instead  of  being  an  interruption  to  our  neces- 
sary business,  is  really  a  help  to  it.  The  utmost  pro- 
longation of  human  life  also,  is  in  the  like  alternation 
of  toil  and  rest.  While  the  poor  beast  of  burden,  if 
doomed  to  continued  service,  drags  out  a  miserable 
existence,  and  at  length  sinks  under  the  premature 
exhaustion  of  his  powers.  What  lustre,  then,  does 
the  Sabbath  cast  upon  the  benevolence  of  its  Author. 
What  mercy,  what  God-breathed  humanity  appear 
in  this  holy  Institution.  Let  those  who  dwell  in  the 
habitations  of  cruelty,  be  its  enemies. 


Section  V. 

MANNER    OF    OBSERVING    THE  SABBA^JH. 

Notwithstanding  God  has  given  the  Sabbath  for 
the  spiritual  and  temporal  benefit  of  man,  it  is  mani- 
fest that  we  may  sutler  a  woful  loss  of  all  the  good 
it  proposes,  if  we  neglect  to  make  a  pi'oper  improve- 
ment of  it.  Like  all  the  other  means  of  grace,  it  may 
prove  a  savor  of  death  unto  death  to  those  who  abuse 


ITS    OBStKVAiNCE.  37 

it.      It  therefore 'becomes  a  momentous  inquiry,  Ho'w 
shall  this  holy  day  be  observed  ? 

This  great  institution  is  to  be  regarded  as  a  weekly 
testimony  of  our  allegiance  to  Him  who  created  us. 
It  thus  becomes  the  mark  of  distinction  between  the 
worshipers  of  Jehovah  and  heathens.  This  being 
the  case,  it  becomes  a  matter  of  thrilling  importance 
that  the  testim.ony  of  our  allegiance  be  sincere,  cha- 
racterized by  nothing  of  hypocrisy  or  formality.  If, 
in  all  our  acts  of  worship,  we  must  be  careful  to  wor- 
ship "  in  spirit  and  in  truth,"  surely  it  is  of  the  high- 
est importance  to  do  so  on  this  solemn  occasion,  when 
the  Great  King  comes  down  to  test  our  loyalty  Let 
it  be  remembered,  too,  that  in  this  business  there  can 
properly  be  no  uninterested  spectators.  It  is  not  foi 
a  few  to  go  through  with  the  solemn  act  of  dedicating 
themselves,  while  the  rest  make  it  a  mere  holiday, 
in  Avhich  they  look  on,  as  boys  witness  the  manou- 
veriniTs  of  soldiers  on  parade  day.  But  all  the  sons 
pnd  daughters  of  Adam — for  all  are  alike  the  work- 
manship of  the  Divine  Being — are  equally  bound  to 
direct  their  eyes  and  their  hearts  to  Him  who  made 
them,  and  to  say,  "  Come,  let  us  join  ourselves  to  the 
Lord  in  a  perpetual  covenant  that  shall  not  be  for 
gotten." 

On  this  day  we  should  by  no  means  omit  to  cele- 
brate the  praise  of  creation.  To  be  a  memorial  of 
this  great  work  of  the  Almighty,  the  Sabbath  was 
originally  instituted.  Shall  we  then  lose  sight  of  the 
original  design  of  the  institution,  or  even  throw  it  into 
the  shade  as  a  matter  of  secondary  importance  ^  Is 
not  the  soundness  of  that  system  of  theology  to  be 
suspected,  which  would  teach  us  to  do  so  }  Some, 
it  is  true,  teach  us  that  the  work  of  Redemption  being 
much  more  stupendous  than  that  of  creation,  is  there- 
fore to  be  made  the  chief  object  of  our  praise.     But 


38  THE    SABBATH. 

however  plausible  this  sentiment  may  seem,  it  is  a 
sufficient  ansM^er  to  say  it  is  not  contained  in  the  Scrip- 
tures. How  much  more  vast  the  work  of  Redemp- 
tion is  than  that  of  creation,  we  pretend  not  to  say,  as 
we  are  not  able  to  measure  the  extent  of  either.  To 
say  which  work  makes  the  most  powerful  impression 
upon  our  minds,  and  fills  us  with  more  sublime  ideas, 
is  more  easy.  But  that  is  no  criterian  by  which  to 
judge  of  their  relative  magnitude.  Let  it  even  be 
conceded  that  Redemption  exceeds  in  glory  the  work 
of  creation,  still,  whence  do  we  derive  those  powers 
by  which  we  estimate  its  glory  ?  Whence  did  we 
obtain  those  faculties  by  which  we  contemplate  the 
great  scheme  of  Redemption,  and  know  that  it  is 
glorious  ?  Is  it  not  to  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of 
God  as  displayed  in  creation,  that  we  are  indebted  for 
all  these  ?  And  what  are  the  objects  upon  which 
Redemption  is  accomplished  .?  Are  they  not  created 
objects  ?  And  what  is  the  effect  which  redemption 
has  upon  them  ?  Is  it  not  that  of  putting  an  end  to 
the  disorders  which  sin  has  introduced,  and  bringing 
them  to  their  original  glory  ?  Is  not  the  final  result 
of  redemption  to  be  that  of  bringing  nian  back  to  that 
state  of  holiness  and  rectitude  which  the  work  of  cre- 
ation originally  bestowed  upon  him  .''  How  then  can 
the  praise  of  Redemption  be  celebrated,  without  cele- 
brating the  praise  of  creation  also  ?  The  one  cer- 
tainly leads  directly  to  the  other.  So  that  if  Redemp- 
tion accomplish  its  proper  fruits  upon  us,  it  will  lead 
us  to  be  still  more  devout  in  observing  the  proper 
memorial  of  the  Creator's  works. 

But  let  it  not  be  thought,  because  the  work  of  crea- 
tion holds  so  prominent  a  place  in  our  Sabbath  medi- 
tations, that  redemption  is  therefore  cast  into  the 
shade.  It  is  rather  the  contrary.  For  as  those  pow- 
ers by  which  we  contemplate  the  work  of  creation, 


ITS    OBSERVANCE.  39 

and  become  acquainted  with  its  grandeur  and  with  i^s 
author,  are  impaired  by  sin,  so  it  is  impossible  for  us 
to  enter  into  the  subject  profitably,  except  by  the  aid 
which  Redemption  affords.  If  we  attempt  to  bring 
our  mental  powers  to  act  upon  the  works  of  creation, 
and  to  "  look  through  nature  up  to  Nature's  God," 
we  shall  find  them  slow  and  lifeless  to  perform  their 
duty,  until  first  purified  and  invigorated  by  the  influ- 
ence of  the  great  Atonement.  Much,  therefore,  as  it 
is  our  duty  to  celebrate  the  praise  of  creation,  we  can- 
not do  so  to  the  glory  of  God,  without  recognizing  at 
the  same  time  the  redemption  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus, 
as  the  means  by  which  we  do  it.  From  which  it  ap- 
pears, that  the  praises  of  creation  and  of  redemption 
go  hand  in  hand  in  this  matter.  There  is  no  clashing, 
— no  contrariety, — nor  even  such  an  elevation  of  one 
Tabove  the  other  in  respect  to  glory,  that  they  cannot 
be  celebrated  together,  and  upon  the  very  day  which 
most  fitly  serves  as  the  memorial  of  the  former  ;  which 
memorial  cannot  be  transferred  to  another  day  with- 
out manifest  incongruity. 

It  is  manifest  from  the  slightest  consideration  of  the 
nature  and  design  of  the  Sabbatic  institution,  that 
Redemption  cannot  be  excluded  from  our  meditations 
on  this  holy  day,  but  must  hold  a  very  prominent 
place.  For  one  great  design  of  the  Sabbath  is,  to 
promote  our  conformity  to  holiness.  But  man  par- 
takes of  no  holiness  except  through  the  gospel.  The 
mediation  of  Christ  is  the  only  channel  through  which 
it  is  communicated  to  him,  and  this  always  in  con- 
nection M^ith  the  most  vigorous  action  of  his  mind  on 
the  subject. 

Another  very  important  thing  among  the  duties  of 
the  Sabbath,  is  the  cultivation  of  a  right  spirit  with 
reference  to  it.  We  should  ^'■count  it  a  delight^''''  Isa. 
Iviii.  13      Can  that  man  be  called  a  Christian,  who 


40  THE    SABBATH. 

counts  it  an  irksome  season  ?  Is  he  spiritually  mind- 
ed to  whom  it  is  an  unwelcome  interruption  of  his 
worldly  business,  who  in  the  avarieiousness  of  his 
heart  says  "  when  will  the  Sabbath  be  gone  that  we 
may  set  forth  wheat  ?"  Amos.  viii.  5.  Surely  not. 
His  temper  is  any  thing  but  in  accordance  with  the 
sacredness  of  the  Sabbath  season.  His  thoughts,  his 
feelings  are  a  direct  violation  of  that  law  which  says, 
"Remember  the  Sabbath-day  to  keep  it  holy."  To 
a  real  Christian,  however,  the  Sabbath  is  the  most  de- 
lightful season  he  enjoys  on  earth.  It  is  something 
like  a  heaven  below  ;  for  the  things  of  God  and  Christ 
come  then  into  direct  contact  with  his  holy  soul.  He 
is  as  eager  for  the  approach  of  this  holy  season,  as  a 
child  is  for  his  holiday.  Instead  of  it  being  too  long 
for  him,  it  is  too  short ;  and  with  joy  does  he  look 
forward  to  a  Sabbath  which  shall  never  end,  that 
which  remaineth  for  the  people  of  God,  Heb.  iv.  9. 
Such  a  spirit  ought  ever  to  be  cultivated.  In  no  other 
way  can  the  Sabbath  become  a  means  of  grace  to  the 
soul.  What  will  mere  abstinence  from  labor  do  ?  It 
will  only  contribute  to  the  renovation  of  the  corporeal 
system  ;  which,  it  is  true,  is  one  design  of  the  insti- 
tution. But  this  is  a  small  part.  Shall  we  take  care 
of  the  body,  and  not  of  the  soul  !  Yet  the  soul  suf- 
fers unto  death,  if  there  be  no  care  to  cherish  a  right 
spirit  with  reference  to  the  day  which  is  ''the  holy 
of  the  Lord."  Our  very  thoughts  must  be  put  under 
restraint,  and  the  greatest  care  taken  that  nothing  of  a 
worldly  nature  intrude  into  the  mind. 

This  leads  us  to  observe,  that  our  conversation 
should  have  no  reference  to  worldly  things,  but  should 
be  upon  such  subjects  as  are  spiiitual  and  tend  to  the 
furtherance  of  the  soul  in  the  divine  life.  "  Not 
speaking  thine  own  words,"  Isa.  Iviii.  13.  But, 
alas  !  we  shail  enter  the  dwellings  of  some,  and  when 


ITS    OBSERVANCE.  41 

the  Sabbath  approaches,  we  shall  not  know  it  by  any 
dilFrrence  th:it  we  can  discover  in  their  conversation. 
It  is  slill  upon  subjects  that  have  not  the  remotest  con- 
ixi-ction  with  the  glory  of  God.  Follow  them  to  the 
place  of  public  worship,  and  up  to  the  very  thresh- 
holil  of  the  door,  their  speech  still  savors  of  this 
world.  Follow  them  through  the  whole  of  the  day 
— the  state  of  their  crops,  the  currency  of  the  coun- 
try, the  political  aspect  of  things,  banks,  bonds,  mort- 
gages ;  these  are  the  themes  upon  which  they  expa- 
tiate. These  render  them  animated,  and  even  elo- 
quent. ''  Out  of  the  abundance  of  the  heart  the 
mouth  speaketh."  Reader,  thinkest  thou  that  such 
persons  can  say  in  truth,  "  0  how  I  love  thy  law." 
That  law  says.  Remember  the  Sabbath-day  to  keep 
it  holy.  Thinkest  thou  that  the  love  of  God  reigns  in 
their  hearts  ?  This  is  the  love  of  God,  that  w^e  keep 
his  commandments.     John.  v.  3. 

AH  visiting  for  pleasure  is  inconsistent  with  aright 
observance  of  the  Sabbath.  Express  and  plain  is  the 
word  of  God — "  Not  finding  thine  own  pleasure." 
Isa.  Ixviii.  13.  Visiting  the  sick  for  the  purpose  of 
alleviating  their  sufferings,  and  rendering  what  help 
we  can,  either  as  it  regards  their  bodies  or  their  souls, 
is  not  only  allowable,  but  is  a  Sabbath  duty.  But 
even  this  is  liable  to  abuse.  Multitudes  take  the  Sab- 
bath to  visit  the  sick,  merely  because  they  are  not 
willing  to  take  time  on  any  other  day ;  and  it  is  to  be 
feared  that  if  there  were  no  Sabbath,  the  sick  would 
be  sadly  neglected  by  them.  Others  go  merely  be- 
cause the  rigid  improvement  of  the  day  at  home  is 
irksome  to  them.  They  w^atch  the  occasion,  and 
convert  it  as  much  as  possible  into  a  visit  for  their 
own  pleasure,  while  they  quiet  their  consciences  by 
the  reflection  that  they  have  been  visiting  the  sick. 
Reader !  be  careful  how  you  seek  to  evade  the  re- 


42  THE    SABBATH. 

straints  of  Heaven's  law.  Every  attempt  on  your 
part  to  convert  the  season  of  holy  rest  into  a  day  of 
pleasure,  evinces  a  heart  that  counts  the  command- 
ments of  God  grievous.  Is  this  a  renewed  heart  ? 
Impossible.  Remember,  too,  that  while  you  visit 
others  for  your  own  pleasure,  you  drive  them  to  a 
violation  of  the  Sabbath,  as  well  as  yourself.  You 
take  them  from  their  closet,  their  reading,  their 
meditations. 

All  traveling,  for  business  or  for  pleasure,  is  also 
forbidden  by  the  Sabbath  law.  Such  traveling  as 
may  be  necessary  in  order  to  promote  the  due  sancti- 
fication  of  the  day,  is  of  course  not  included.  Har- 
nessing our  horses  and  riding  to  our  accustomed  places 
of  worship,  may  be  necessary  to  promote  the  sancti- 
fication  of  the  Sabbath,  and  L,  therefore,  no  breach  of 
of  it.  It  stands  on  the  same  level  with  the  labor  per- 
formed by  the  priests  of  the  Old  Economy  in  the  tem- 
ple, for  which  they  were  "  blameless."  Matt.  xii.  5. 
Yet  traveling  one  half  the  distance  for  pleasure,  is  a 
profanation  of  the  day,  inasmuch  as  the  word  of  God 
says,  "  not  finding  thine  own  pleasure."  For  the 
same  reason,  and  because  there  are  six  days  in 
which  men  ought  to  work,  journeying  for  business 
on  the  Sabbath,  is  a  violation  of  it.  Take  the  following 
case  :  Brother  A.  is  out  on  a  journey  The  Sabbath 
comes,  and  instead  of  putting  up  and  resting  until  the 
sacred  season  i3  past,  he  keeps  right  forward  just  as 
he  had  done  every  other  day  of  the  week.  True,  he 
professes  to  regret  the  necessity  of  traveling  on  this 
day,  but  pleads  in  excuse  that  he  cannot  afford  to  stop 
at  a  public  house  during  the  time.  He  is  too  poor  ; 
or,  he  says,  the  tavern  is  a  noisy,  bustling  place,  and 
unfavorable  to  his  religious  enjoyment,  and,  therefore, 
he  concludes  it  will  be  no  greater  violation  of  the 
Sabbath  to  proceed  quietly  on  his  journey  than  it 
would  be  to  spend  it  in  such  a  situation.     But,  bro- 


ITS    OBSERVANCE.  43 

ther,  let  me  talk  with  you  about  this.  Ho  »v  much 
would  it  cost  you  to  slop  at  the  public  house  ?  A 
dollar,  or  two  dollars  ;  or  it  rnay.  be,  if  your  family  is 
with  you,  five  doRars.  Well,  will  you  barter  away 
the  sanctity  of  the  Sabbath  for  five  dollars  !  Poor  as 
you  are,  will  you  make  sale  of  the  ordinance  of  God 
for  money  ?  For  this  is  what  you  do  in  reality.  Turn 
it  and  turn  it  whichever,  way  you  will,  it  comes  at  last 
to  this.  Pause,  then,  and  consider  whether,  under 
such  circumstances,  and  actuated  by  such  principles, 
you  can  class  yourself  with  those  who  "  esteem  the 
law  of  God  better  to  them  than  thousands  of  gold  and 
silver."  Ps.  cxix.  72.  The  true  Christian  would 
rather  impoverish  himself  to  the  last  farthing  than 
violate  one  of  God's  precepts.  "  But  the  tavern  was 
noisy  and  bustling."  How  came  you  to  put  up  at 
such  a  tavern  ?  Those  who  remember  the  Sabbath, 
and  are  anxious  to  spend  it  to  the  glory  of  God,  will 
carefully  look  out  and  make  their  inquiries  before- 
hand, and  in  n  ost  cases  will  not  have  much  difficulty 
in  lodging  themselves  at  a  quiet  place.  But  if  through 
circumstances  beyond  their  own  control,  they  are 
lodged  in  a  place  of  different  character,  their  duty  is 
to  submit  to  it,  and  do  the  best  they  can.  Your  en- 
joyment may  not  be  so  great ;  but  what  of  that  ?  Your 
spiritual  prosperity  does  not  always  depend  on  your 
enjoyment ;  nor  does  God's  glory  depend  upon  it. 
God's  glory  depends  upon  your  obedience  to  his  law, 
and  so  does  your  prosperity.  It  is  a  mistaken  notion 
that  Christians  are  never  in  the  way  of  duty  but  when 
they  are  in  the  way  of  enjoyment.  Besides,  dare  you 
prescribe  terms  to  the  Almighty,  and  say  you  will 
obey  him,  provided  he  will  grant  you  such  enjoy- 
ments and  privileges  as  you  want,  otherwise  you  will 
not  ?  How  daring  the  impiety  !  What  if  God  lodged 
you  at  such  a  wicked   place  on    purpose   that  you 


44  THE    SABBATH. 

might,  by  your  conduct  and  your  words,  be  a  leproof 
to  the  ungodly  sinners  that  frequented  there.  Will 
you  be  ashamed  of  your  duty,  and  snrink  from  the 
trial  ?  '^  He  that  is  ashamed  of  rn(-  and  of  my  words, 
of  him  shall  the  Son  of  Man  be  ashamed."  Luke  ix, 
26.  Remember,  my  brother,  God's  law  says,  •'  Re- 
member the  Sabbath  to  keep  it  holy."  The  excep- 
tions which  you  make,  God  has  not  made. 

After  what  has  been  offered,  it  seems  almost  need- 
less to  add,  that  Sabba'h-keeping  includes  abstinence 
from  labor.  The  Divine  law  enjoins  us  "  to  keep  it 
holy."  The  plain  m-aning  of  which  is,  that  it  is  a 
day  peculiarly  sacred  to  the  Lord.  For  the  word 
Ao/y,  when  applied  to  things  inanimate,  or  to  ponions 
of  time,  denotes  them  to  be  set  apart  exclusively  for 
religious  purposes.  If,  then,  the  day  in  question,  ac- 
cording to  the  divine  mandate,  is  to  be  kept  holy,  it  is 
manifestly  a  sin  to  devote  it,  or  any  part  of  it,  to  sec- 
ular pursuits.  Wherefore  the  law  is  express — '■'■  in  it 
thou  shalt  not  do  any  work."  All  that  work  which 
on  other  days  is  perfectly  lawful,  is  on  the  hoi}  ISab- 
bath  to  be  laid  aside,  except  such  as  may  be  abso- 
lutely necessary  for  the  prevention  of  distress,  or  the 
relief  of  objects  of  mercy.  But  alas!  what  kind  of 
commentary  upon  this  law  is  the  conduct  of  many 
who  call  themselves  by  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  Let  us  see. — Neighbor  B.  has  a  large  grass 
farm,  and  milks  daily  from  thirty  to  fifty  cows.  The 
product  of  his  dairy  is  cheese,  of  which  he  makes 
one  or  perhaps  two  each  day  during  the  proper  sea- 
son. The  Sabbath  comes,  and  the  cows  must  be 
milked.  Well,  that  is  right  and  necessary  for  the 
prevention  of  distress.  But  then  the  milk  must  be 
subjected  to  the  same  operation  as  on  other  days,  and 
the  accustomed  cheese  must  be  made,  because  other- 
wise it  would  be  lost.    Lost ! — well,  suppose  it  should 


ITS    OTBSERVANCE.  45 

be,  how  much  is  it  worth  ?  Why,  five  dollais,  more 
or  less.  And  so  he  barters  away  the  sanctity  of  the 
Sabbath  (or  five  dollars  I  Well,  Judas  sold  his  master 
for  thirty  pieces  of  silver,  and  how  much  better  is 
your  conduct  than  his  ?  Or  what  better  is  your  con- 
duct than  mine  would  be  in  .the  following  case  ?  I 
have  a  valuable  horse,  which  I  will  sell  for  one  hun- 
dred dollars.  A  traveler  passes  my  door  on  Sabbath 
day,  and  offers  me  my  price.  Now  the  times  are 
hard,  and  by  closing  the  bargain  it  will  be  a  profit  to 
me  of  twenty  or  twenty-five  dollars.  By  refusing  to 
do  so,  I  lose  the  chance  of  selling  him,  and  he  remains 
on  my  hands.  Rather  than  lose  so  good  an  opportu- 
nity, I  strike  the  bargain,  Sabbath  though  it  be.  Thus 
have  I  sold  the  sanctity  of  the  Sabbath  for  twenty 
dollars  !  Neighbor  B.,  who  makes  his  cheese  on  the 
Sabbath,  is  horror-struck,  and  comes  over  to  admon- 
ish me.     But,  "  Physician  heal  thyself.''^ 

We  might  multiply  cases  to  illustrate  our  argument, 
but  it  is  needless.  Every  instance  of  departure  from 
God's  law,  we  believe,  will  be  found  to  have  origina- 
ted in  selfishness.  But  that  manner  of  keeping  the 
day  which  looks  at  our  own  interest,  rather  than  the 
honor  of  God,  can  in  no  way  be  called  "  keeping  it 
holy."  For  if  it  is  holy,  it  is  consecrated  to  the  Lord, 
not  to  ourselves.  But  in  all  the  foregoing  instances, 
it  is  manifest,  the  individual  looks  first  to  himself. 
Such  selfishness  is  idolatry,  and  is  the  very  spirit  that 
governs  the  carnal  mind.  But  God,  in  the  just  retri- 
butions of  his  providence,  sometimes  defeats  the  very 
end  proposed  to  be  obtained  by  it.  For  instance,  the 
cheese,  which  is  the  product  of  Sabbath  labor,  spoils 
on  the  dairyman's  hands ;  or  if  that  does  not  take 
place,  he  fails  of  getting  his  pay  for  it.  The  farmer 
who  was  in  haste  to  gather  in  his  hay  or  his  grain  on 
the  Sabbath  for  fear  of  a  shower,  has  no  sooner  se- 


46  THE    SAEEATH. 

cured  it  than  the  storm  begins,  and  a  single  flash  of 
lightning  consumes  the  whole.  Or,  it  may  be,  when 
winter  comes,  he  takes  it  to  market,  trusts  it  out,  and 
finally  gets  nothinoj  for  it.  The  man  who  could  not 
afford  the  expense  of  stopping  at  the  hotel  over  Sab- 
bath while  on  his  journey,  gets  home,  and  finds  per- 
haps that  on  the  very  day  he  was  profaning  God's 
holy  institution,  some  person's  cattle  broke  into  his 
grain-field  and  destroyed  enough  to  pay  for  his  lodg- 
ing at  the  hotel  half  a  dozen  times.  What  then  did 
he  gain  by  it  ?  That  such  retributions  overtake  those 
who  violate  the  law  of  God,  is  not  merely  imaginary. 
On  the  contrary,  it  is  believed,  that  were  men  more 
close  observers  of  the  dealings  of  Providence,  they 
would  be  sensible  that  such  things  take  place  often. 
But,  alas  !  "  God  speaketh  once,  yea,  twice,  and  man 
perceiveth  it  not." 

It  seems  almost  superfluous  to  say  any  thing  about 
public  worship,  as  an  important  part  of  Sabbath  exer- 
cises. If  it  were  necessary  to  their  spiritual  prosper- 
ity that  Jews  should  meet  together  in  "  holy  convo- 
cation," Lev.  xxii.  3,  and  be  instructed  in  the  testi- 
monies concerning  a  Messiah  to  come,  it  cannot  be 
less  important  that  Christians  should  now  assemble 
and  celebrate  the  fulfilment  of  those  testimonies,  and 
"  the  grace  and  truth  which  came  by  Jesus  Christ." 
Our  Lord  has  ordained  public  worship  to  be  a  means 
of  promoting  the  growth  of  his  people  in  holiness  ; 
and  if  the  Sabbath  is  a  means  to  the  same  end,  they 
ought  both  to  go  together,  unless  our  situation  render 
it  impossible.  If  on  the  holy  Sabbath  we  cannot  say, 
**  How  amiable  are  thy  tabernacles,  O  Lord  of  hosts," 
when  can  we  .''  If  on  this  holy  day  we  cannot  say, 
**  I  had  rather  be  a  door-keeper  in  the  house  of  my 
God,  than  to  dwell  in  the  tents  of  wickedness,"  when 
"will  it  ever  be  the  language  of  our  hearts  ? 


ITS    OBSERVANCE.  47 

But  "we  cannot  enlarge.  Our  essay  has  already 
exceeded  the  limits  we  had  designed.  We  submit 
the  subject  to  your  consideration,  as  being  one  of  in- 
calculable importance.  Reader,  what  course  will  you 
take  ?  God  Almighty  has  separated  one  day  in  par- 
ticular from  all  others,  and  pronounced  it  holy.  Will 
you  then  say  that  all  days  are  alike  ?  Or  will  you 
assume  to  yourself  the  prerogative  of  setting  apart 
whatever  portion  of  time  you  choose,  in  open  disre- 
gard of  that  particular  portion  which  God  "  sanctified 
and  blessed,"  saying,  "  it  is  the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord 
thy  God  ?"  Will  you  suffer  your  convenience  or 
your  selfishness  to  come  into  conflict  with  the  claims 
of  your  Maker  ?  Who  is  it  that  said,  ^'  If  any  man 
will  come  after  me,  let  him  dexy  himself?"  Pause 
then,  before  you  suffer  yourself  to  be  lulled  into  in- 
difference on  this  matter.  A  vain  sophistry  insinu- 
ates that  it  is  a  subject  of  minor  importance — a  non- 
essential. But  be  not  deceived.  God  has  magnified 
its  importance  throughout  his  holy  oracles.  It  is  God 
the  Lord  that  speaks,  will  you  obey  or  will  you  turn 
agaia  to  folly  ? 


THE  SIXTH-DAY  NIGHT. 

<*  Sweet  to  the  soul  the  parting  ray, 
Which  ushers  placid  evening  in, 

When  with  the  still  expiring  day, 
The  Sabbath's  peaceful  hours  begin  ; 

How  grateful  to  the  anxious  breast, 

The  sacred  hours  of  holy  rest  I 

I  love  the  blush  of  vernal  bloom, 

When  morning  gilds  night's  sullen  tear ; 

And  dear  to  me  the  mournful  gloom 
Of  Autumn — Sabbath  of  the  year  ; 

But  purer  pleasures,  joys  sublime, 

Await  the  dawn  of  holy  time. 

Hushed  is  the  tumult  of  the  day. 

And  worldly  cares,  and  business  cease, 

While  soft  the  vesper  breezes  play 
To  hymn  the  glad  return  of  peace  ; 

O  season  blest !  O  moments  given. 

To  turn  the  vagrant  thoughts  to  Heaven. 

What  though  involved  in  lurid  sight, 
The  loveliest  forms  in  nature  fade. 

Yet  mid  the  gloom  shall  heavenly  light 
With  joy  the  contrite  heart  pervade  ; 

O  thou,  great  source  of  light  divine, 

With  beams  etherial  gladden  mine. 

Oft  as  this  hallowed  hour  shall  come, 
O  raise  my  thoughts  from  earthly  things, 

And  bear  them  to  my  heavenly  home, 
On  living  faith's  immortal  wings — 

Till  the  last  gleam  of  life  decay 

In  one  eternal  Sabbath  Day  !" 


No.  3. 

THE    SABBATH: 

AUTHORITY    FOR   THE   CHAI^GE   OF  THE  DAY. 


It  being  clear  from  the  Scriptures,  that  the  seventh 
day  was  instituted  by  divine  authority  for  a  M^eekly 
Sabbath,  and  religiously  regarded  throughout  the 
times  of  the  Old  Testament,  those  who  now  relinquish 
its  observance,  and  keep  the  first  day  of  tlie  week, 
take  the  ground  that  the  Sabbath  was  either  abrogated 
and  a  new  institution  introduced  in  its  room,  or  that 
the  time  of  its  observance  was  changed  from  the 
seventh  to  the  first  day  of  the  week,  in  commemora- 
tion of  the  resurrection  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
To  be  consistent  with  themselves,  therefore,  they  are 
bound  to  evince  one  or  the  other  of  these  positions 
The  burden  of  proof  evidently  lies  on  their  part 
For  unless  it  can  be  shown,  that  the  fourth  command 
ment,  which  requires  the  sanctification  of  the  seventh 
day,  has  been  abolished,  or  amended  by  the  substitu- 
tion of  the  first  for  the  seventh  day  of  the  week,  it  is 
clear  that  the  original  appointment  remains  obligatory 
and  is  now  binding  on  the  entire  human  family.  And 
to  substantiate  either  of  these  points,  the  proof  must 
be  clear  and  decisive.  It  will  not  do  to  rest  upon 
doubtful  deductions.  We  have  an  unquestionable  right 
to  demand  that  divine  warrant,  in  either  case,  which 
pertained  to  the  institution  as  originally  delivered. 

We  will  therefore  first  examine  the  proofs  adduced 
in  favor  of  the  abrogation  of  the  former  weekly  Sab- 
bath and  the  introduction  of  a  new  institution. 

To  sustain  this  position,  the  broad  ground  is  takeu 
by  some,  that  the  Decalogue  itself,  in  which  the  law 
of  the  Sabbath  is  contained,  was  abrogated ;  and  that, 


8  THE    SABBATH ! 

under  the  new  dispensation,  no  part  of  it  is  binding 
but  what  is  newly  enjoined  or  expressly  recognized, 
either  by  Christ  or  his  Apostles. 

The  perpetual  obligation  of  the  Decalogue  implies, 
of  course,  the  perpetual  obligation  of  the  Sabbath  as 
enjoined  in  the  fourth  commandment.  But  if  that 
was  abrogated,  the  Sabbath  which  it  enjoined  was 
also  abrogated  ;  and,  consequently,  it  ceases  to  be 
binding,  unless  renewed  under  the  new  economy. 
What,  then,  is  the  proof  here  relied  upon  ?  One  of 
the  principal  passages  in  which  this  proof  is  supposed 
to  be  contained  is  2  Corinthians  3  :  7,  8,  13.  "  But 
if  the  ministration  of  death,  written  and  engraven  in 
stones,  was  glorious,  so  that,  the  children  of  Israel 
could  not  steadfastly  behold  the  face  of  Moses  for  the 
glory  of  his  countenance,  which  glory  was  to  be 
done  away,  how  shall  not  the  ministration  of  the 
Spirit  be  rather  glorious }  .  .  .  .  And  not  as  Moses, 
which  put  a  veil  over  his  face,  that  the  children  of 
Israel  could  not  steadfastly  look  to  the  end  of  that 
which  is  abolished."  It  is  argued  from  this  passage, 
that  the  clauses  "  which  glory  was  to  be  done  away," 
and  "  to  the  end  of  that  which  is  abolished,"  refer  to 
the  whole  law,  moral  as  well  as  ritual^  because  men- 
tion is  made  of  "  that  which  was  written  and  engraven 
in  stones,"  which  is  an  evident  allusion  to  the  Deca- 
logue. But,  on  careful  examination,  it  will  be  found 
that  "  that  which  was  to  be  done  away,"  was  not  the 
Decalogue  itself,  but  "  the  ministration  of  it,"  which 
was  then  appointed — the  same  being  emblematically 
illustrated  by  the  glory  of  Moses'  countenance, 
which  was  merely  temporary.  This  clause  refers 
expressly  to  the  glory  of  his  countenance,  and  not  to 
the  glory  of  the  law  itself.  So  also  the  clause  "  that 
which  is  abolished,"  does  not  refer  to  the  Decalogue, 
but  to  the  ministration  of  Moses,  Including  the  ap- 
pended rites  and  usages,  the  priesthood  and  its  sacri- 


AUTHORITY  FOR  THE  CHANGE.  3 

fices,  which  were  useful  merely  for  the  time  being. 
It  cannot  be  supposed  that  the  Decalogue  was  abol- 
ished, without  expressly  contradicting  Christ's  testi- 
mony, Matt.  5  :  17 — 19,  as  well  as  many  other 
representations  of  the  Scriptures.  The  abolishment 
spoken  of,  therefore,  evidently  respected  no  other  than 
what  the  Apostle  calls  in  another  place  "  the  law  of 
commandments  contained  in  ordinances,"  inclusive  of 
the  entire  ministration  of  Moses.  There  is  unques- 
tionably a  reference  in  this  chapter  to  the  Decalogue, 
but  not  as  abolished.  It  was  merely  the  ministration 
of  it,  or  the  then  instituted  manner  of  teaching,  illus- 
trating, and  enforcing  it,  which  was  abolished,  to  be 
succeeded  by  a  new  ministration  of  the  same  law  by 
the  Spirit.  For  it  is  written,  "  I  will  put  my  law" 
— (the  very  law  of  the  ten  commandments) — "  in 
their  inward  parts,  and  write  it  in  their  hearts." 
Again,  "  We  are  not  without  law  to  God,  but  under 
the  law  to  Christ."  What  law  but  the  Decalogue  is 
here  referred  to  f  Evidently  none.  For  surely  we 
are  not  under  the  Mosaic  ritual.  Again,  "  Do  we 
make  void  the  law  through  faith  ?  .  .  Yea,  we  es- 
tablish the  law."  The  same,  no  doubt,  which  was 
contained  in  the  Decalogue.  Hence,  the  Apostle 
James  says,  '^  If  ye  fulfil  the  royal  law  according  to 
the  Scripture,  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself, 
ye  shall  do  well."  Here  the  title  "  the  royal  law  " 
is  given  by  way  of  eminence  to  the  Decalogue  ;  and  its 
permanent  obligation  is  manifestly  recognized  ;  for  the 
precept  alluded  to  is  a  summary  of  the  last  six  com- 
mandments of  this  code,  and  the  allusion  is  so  made 
as  to  imply  the  continued  obligation  of  the  first  four, 
which  are  summed  up  in  supreme  love  to  God. 
Again,  the  Apostle  John  testifies,  "Hereby  do  we 
know  that  we  know  him,  if  we  keep  his  command- 
ments." And  again,  "  Blessed  are  they  that  do  hi» 
commandments,  that  they  may  have  right  to  the  tree 


4  THE    SABBATH  ! 

of  life,  and  may  enter  in  through  the  gates  into  thei 
city."  In  both  these  passages  reference  is  evidently 
had  to  the  precepts  of  the  Decalogue,  as  the  essential 
and  permanent  rule  of  obedience  for  Christians.  The 
doing  away  or  abolishment,  therefore,  spoken  of  in 
the  above  passage,  cannot  refer  to  the  Decalogue  or 
the  moral  law  itself^  but  to  the  Mosaic  dispensation 
or  ritual. 

Another  of  the  proofs  alledged  for  the  abrogation  ol 
the  Decalogue,  and  consequently  of  the  Sabbath,  is 
Colossians  2  :  14 — 17.  "  Blotting  out  the  hand- 
writing of  ordinances  that  was  against  us,  which  was 
contrary  to  us,  and  took  it  out  of  the  way,  nailing  it 
to  his  cross  ;  and,  having  spoiled  principalities  and 
powers,  he  m-ade  a  show  of  them  openly,  triumphing 
over  them  in  it.  Let  no  man  therefore  judge  you  in 
meat,  or  in  drink,  or  in  respect  of  an  holy  day,  or  of 
the  new  moon,  or  of  the  sabbath  days,  which  are  a 
shadow  of  things  to  come  ;  but  the  body  is  of  Christ." 

By  "  the  hand-writing  of  ordinances,"  is  most  evi- 
dently meant  the  ceremonial  law — not  the  Decalogue, 
or  the  moral  law.  This  is  never  characterized  as 
"the  hand-writing  of  ordinances."  Therefore,  the 
"  blotting  out,"  "  taking  away,"  and  "  nailing  to  the 
cross,"  spoken  of,  have  no  reference  to  this  law,  but 
to  the  Mosaic  ritual.  This  is  particularly  distinguish- 
ed from  the  Decalogue,  and  fitly  described  as  "  the 
law  of  commandments  contained  in  ordinances."  It 
was  this,  and  this  only,  which  was  "  blotted  out  "  and 
"nailed  to  the  cross."  As,  therefore,  the  reference 
made  by  the  Apostle  is  expressly  to  this  law,  it  fol- 
lows, by  a  fair  inference,  that  "  the  sabbath  days  " 
alluded  to,  or,  strictly  rendered,  "sabbaths,"  are  those 
which  were  contained  in  this  law,  or  among  these 
"  ordinances,"  and  do  not  include  the  Sabbath  of  the 
fourth  commandment.  There  were,  besides  the 
weekly  Sabbath,  various  other  sabbaths  appointed. 


AUTHORITY  FOR  THE  CHANGE.  5 

which  belonged  to  that  ritual,  and  not  to  the  Deca- 
logue. Accordingly,  these  were  expressly  included 
in  "  the  hand-writing  of  ordinances,"  and  like  the  rest 
were  "  a  shadow  of  things  to  come,"  and  ceased  to  be 
obligatory  at  the  death  of  Christ.  There  is  evidently 
no  authority  in  this  passage  for  including  any  sabbaths 
but  what  properly  belonged  to  the  Mosaic  ritual. 
This  view  of  the  matter  is  corroborated  by  a  more 
Hteral  rendering  of  the  17th  verse,  viz  :  "Let  no  one 
therefore  judge  you  in  meat,  or  in  drink,  or  in  a  part 
or  division  of  a  festival,  or  of  a  new  moon,  or  of  sab- 
baths." The  sabbaths  alluded  to  are  obviously  those 
which  are  found  in  the  same  place  with  meats  and 
drinks,  festivals  and  new  moons,  and  which  were  of 
the  same  general  character.  The  weekly  Sabbath, 
therefore,  is  not  affected  at  all  by  their  abrogation,  but 
remains  in  full  force,  as  does  every  other  precept  of 
the  Decalogue. 

We  find  the  same  distinction  as  to  the  law  which 
was  abolished,  in  Ephesians  2  :  14,  15.  "  For  he  is 
our  peace,  who  hath  made  both  one,  and  hath  broken 
down  the  middle  wall  of  partition  between  us,  having 
abolished  in  his  flesh  the  enmity,  even  the  law  of 
commandments  contained  in  ordinances,  for  to  make 
in  himself  of  twain  one  new  man,  so  making  peace." 
Here  the  middle  wall  of  partition  between  Jews  and 
Gentiles,  called  "  the  enmity,"  is  expressly  defined, 
as  before,  to  be  "  the  law  of  commandments  contaiiied 
in  ordinances."  This,  and  this  only,  therefore,  was 
abolished,  leaving  the  Decalogue,  or  the  moral  law, 
in  its  original  character  and  obligation.  This  is  the 
language  of  the  whole  Bible.  There  is  no  proof  in 
any  of  these  passages,  that  the  law  of  the  ten  com- 
mandments was  abolished,  or  that  the  Sabbath  enjoin- 
ed therein  was  done  away. 

Nor  is  there  such  proof  in  Romans  14 :  5,  6. 
"  One  man  esteemeth  one  day  above  another ;  another 


6  THE    SABBATH  : 

esteemelh  every  day  alike.  Let  every  man  be  fully 
persuaded  in  his  own  mind.  He  that  regardeth  the 
day,  regardeth  it  to  the  Lord  ;  and  he  that  regardeth 
not  the  day,  to  the  Lord  he  doth  not  regard  it.  He 
that  eateth,  eateth  to  the  Lord,  for  he  giveth  God 
thanks  :  and  he  that  eateth  not,  to  the  Lord  he  eateth 
not,  und  giveth  God  thanks."  This  passage  is  fre- 
quently adduced  as  proof  that  the  obligation  to  keep 
the  ancient  Sabbath  has  ceased,  and  that  under  the 
Gospel  dispensation  there  is  no  divinely  authorized 
distinction  in  the  days  of  the  week  ;  that  there  is  no 
one  constituted  holy  in  distinction  from  the  rest  ;  and 
consequently  that  every  one  is  left  at  his  own  liberty 
to  keep  a  Sabbath  or  not.  It  will  be  easily  perceived, 
that  if  this  argument  has  any  weight  in  reference  to 
the  seventh  day  as  the  Sabbath,  it  operates  equally 
against  the  obligation  to  keep  the  first  day,  either  as 
a  substitute  for  the  seventh,  or  as  a  memorial  of  the 
resurrection,  seeing  it  places  all  distinctions  whatever 
as  to  days  on  the  same  ground  with  the  confessedly 
obsolete  rites  of  the  Mosaic  ritual.  According  to  this 
view  of  the  passage,  we  have  under  the  Gospel  dis- 
pensation no  Sabbath  at  all — not  so  much  as  an  au- 
thorized memorial  of  the  resurrection.  He  who 
claims  the  least  authority  for  the  observance  of  the 
first  day  of  the  week  for  any  purpose,  takes  a  course 
which  completely  overthrows  the  argument  based 
upon  this  passage.  But,  in  reality,  this  text  has  no- 
thing more  to  do  with  the  subject  before  us,  than 
either  of  those  which  have  been  examined.  It  re- 
spects merely  the  distinctions  which  formerly  existed 
in  regard  to  the  six  working  days  of  the  week — some 
of  them  being  appointed  in  the  Mosaic  ritual  as  sab- 
baths, others  as  days  of  atonement  and  purification, 
and  others  as  festivals.  Some  of  the  early  Christians 
thought  these  distinctions  still  binding,  as  also  the  dis- 
tinctions in  regard  to  meats  and  drinks  ;  others  thought 


AUTHORITY  FOR  THE  CHANGE.  7 

they  were  not.  Hence  the  exhortation  which  is  sub 
joined  to  mutual  forbearance.  That  the  distinctions 
referred  to  as  to  days,  were  those  noted  in  the  Mosaic 
ritual,  and  did  not  include  the  one  contained  in  the 
fourth  commandment,  is  manifest  from  the  whole 
scope  of  the  chapter.  There  is  particular  reference 
made  to  one's  freely  eating  all  things,  while  another 
would  eat  only  herbs  ;  and  accordingly  the  following 
rule,  to  be  respectively  observed,  is  laid  down  :  "  Let 
not  him  that  eateth,  despise  him  that  eateth  not ;  and 
let  not  him  that,  eateth  not,  judge  him  that  eateth  ;  for 
God  hath  received  him."  This  quotation  clearly 
evinces  that  the  Apostle  was  treating  of  ritual  dis- 
tinctions, and  not  of  that  distinction  of  days  which 
was  constituted  by  the  ancient  law  of  the  Sabbath. 

Again,  the  abrogation  of  the  Decalogue  is  supposed  j 
to  be  taught  in   Romans  7  :  4,  5,  6.     "  Wherefore,  I 
my  brethren,  ye  also  are  become  dead  to  the  law  by  \ 
the  body  of  Christ,  that  ye  should  be  married  to  an-  l 
other,  even  to  him  who  is  raised  from  the  dead,  that  | 
we  should  bring  forth  fruit  unto  God.     For  when  we  \ 
were  in  the  flesh,  the  motions  of  sin  which  were  by 
the  law,  did  work  in  our  members,  to  bring  forth  fruit 
unto  death.     But  now  we  are  delivered  from  the  law, 
that   being   dead   wherein  we  were  held  ;  that    we 
should  serve  in  newness  of  spirit,  and  not  in  the  old- 
ness  of  the  letter."     But  if  the  term  law  here  in- 
cludes the  moral  as  well  as  the  ceremonial  law,  it  is 
manifest  that  believers  are  not  said  to  be  delivered 
from  it,  considered  in  any  other  light  than  as  a  cove- 
nant of  works.     Certainly  they  are  not  delivered  from 
it  as  a  rule  of  obedience.     To  suppose  this,  is  incon- 
sistent  with   Christ's  sermon  on  the  mount,  before 
alluded  to,  and  many  other  decisive  proofs  of  the  per- 
petual obligation  of  the  Decalogue.     It  is  probable 
the  Apostle  had  special  reference  to  the  deliverance 
of  believers  from  the  curse  of  the  moral  law.     Tliis 


8  THE    SABBATH  I 

is  reasanably  inferred  from  the  clause,  "  that  being 
dead  where'ln  we  were  held."  If  any  thing  more 
pertaining  to  this  iaw  be  intended,  it  must  be  its  ori- 
ginal character  when  given  to  Adam  as  a  covenant  of 
works  or  of  life.  For  surely  we  are  not  and  cannot 
be  delivered  from  it  as  a  rule  of  obedience,  so  long  as 
God  is  what  he  is,  and  we  are  what  we  are.  Seeing 
that  as  long  as  the  relation  constituted  by  his  charac- 
ter as  Supreme  Ruler,  and  by  ours  as  moral  subjects, 
exists,  we  shall  be  bound  to  love  him  supremely,  and 
our  neighbor  as  ourselves,  which  is  the  fulfilling  of 
this  law.  And  to  suppose  that  this  law,  as  a  rule  of 
obedience,  was  actually  annulled,  and  that  those  pre- 
cepts only  are  now  to  be  considered  obligatory,  which 
are  enacted  or  published  anew  under  the  Gospel,  is 
to  suppose  that  God,  at  a  certain  time,  actually  re- 
scinded the  rule  requiring  supreme  love  to  him,  and 
to  our  neighbor  as  ourselves,  which  is  palpably  incon- 
sistent, and  contrary  both  to  the  current  of  Scripture 
and  the  nature  of  things.  It  would  be  maintaining 
that  to  be  changed  which  is  manifestly  unchangeable. 
It  would  imply  that,  for  the  time  being,  the  obligation 
recognized  by  the  law  did  not  exist ;  that  the  tie  by 
which  God  and  moral  beings  are  united,  was  sundered, 
not  by  rebellion  on  the  part  of  his  subjects,  but  by  his 
own  act  of  abrogation.     Can  this  be  admitted  ? 

But  if  it  were  admissible,  and  if  no  part  of  this 
law  is  binding  on  Christians  but  what  is  newly 
enacted  or  particularly  recognized  under  the  Gospel 
dispensation,  the  Sabbath  of  the  fourth  commandment 
could  not  in  this  way  be  set  aside  ;  because  its  con- 
tinued obligation  is  plainly  taught  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment. It  is  altogether  a  mistake,  that  we  have  no 
express  recognition  of  this  precept  under  the  Christian 
dispensation.  It  is  plainly  recognized  by  the  Savioi 
'  in  Matthew  5  :  17 — 19,  where  he  says,  that  he  "  came 
not  to  destroy  the  law,  but  to  fulfill  ;  "  that  '•'  one 


AUTHORITY  FOR  THE  CHANGE.  9  | 

jot  or  one  tittle  shall  in  no  wise  pass  fronri  the  law^ 
till  all  be  fulfilled  ;  "  and  that  "  whosoever  shall  break 
one  of  these  least  commandments,  and  shall  teach 
men  so,  shall  be  called  the  least  in  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  ;  but  whosoever  shall  do  and  teach  them, 
shall  be  called  great  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  If  ] 
any  commandment  of  this  law  is  binding,  the  fourth 
is  binding  of  course,  even  if  it  should  be  called  the 
least.  It  is  also  recognized  in  the  following  declara- 
tion of  Christ,  Mark  2 :  27—"  The  Sabbath  was  made 
for  man,  and  not  man  for  the  Sabbath."  The  word 
man  is  here  obviously  used  for  the  entire  race — not 
for  a  part — not  for  the  Jews  in  distinction  from  the 
Gentiles — not  for  those  who  lived  under  the  Old 
Testament  dispensation,  or  till  the  time  of  Christ's 
death  ;  but  for  man  in  his  protracted  existence  during 
all  future  periods  of  time,  i.  e.  for  mankind  in  general. 
This  is  the  plain  import  of  the  declaration.  And  if 
we  render  the  original  with  the  article,  it  is  still  more 
evident  that  the  entire  race  is  included.  '"  The  Sab- 
bath was  made  for  the  man^"^"*  i.  e.  for  Adam,  the  ori- 
ginal parent  of  man,  including,  of  course,  his  pos- 
terity. But,  according  to  either  rendering,  the  entire 
human  race  is  manifestly  included  in  the  term.  The 
Sabbath,  then,  was  as  truly  made  for  the  Gentiles  as 
for  the  Jews  ;  and  for  those  who  should  live  after  the 
crucifixion,  as  for  those  who  lived  before  ;  which  is  an 
explicit  recognition  of  its  perpetual  obligation. 

The  same  recognition  also  appears  from  its  continu- 
ed observance  under  the  ministry  of  the  Apostles,  and  \ 
there  being  not  the  least  hint  or  stir  in  reference  to  | 
its  abrogation,  or  to  the  substitution  of  another  day  in  ' 
its  room.     The  weekly  Sabbath  is  frequently  men- 
tioned in  the  Apostolic  records,  as  a  part  of  practical 
duty,  and  it  was  unquestionably   the  seventh   day. 
Thus  we  have  the  continued  obligation  of  the  Sabbath 
sanctioned  by   Apostolic  example. ,     If,  therefore,  a 


V 


10  THE    SABBATH  : 

new  edition,  or  an  express  recognition  of  the  Sabbath 
of  the  fourili  commandment  be  consideied  necessary, 
to  bind  the  consciences  of  men  under  the  new  dis- 
pensation, the  longo  ng  considerations  will  show  that 
we  have  such  an  (  dition  or  recognition,  as  truly  as 
we  have  of  the  other  precepts  of  the  Decalogue.  So 
that  nothing  is  gained  in  regard  to  setting  aside  the 
seventh  day  of  the  week,  by  attempting  to  show  the 
abrogation  of  the  Decalogue.  If  those  precepts  of 
that  law  which  require  that  we  should  have  no  other 
gods  before  the  Lord — that  we  should  not  kill,  nor 
commit  adultery,  nor  steal — are  newly  enjoined  or 
expressly  recognized  under  the  present  dispensation, 
and,  consequently,  universally  binding,  the  same  is 
true  of  the  fourth  commandment,  which  requires  the 
keeping  of  the  seventh  day. 

Again,  an  attempt  is  made  to  prove  the  abrogation 
of  the  original  Sabbath,  by  showing  that  the  entire 
Decalogue  was  peculiar  to  the  Jewish  nation,  consti- 
tuting a  national  covenant,  which,  at  the  coming  of 
Christ,  was  annulled,  and  a  new  covenant  introduced. 
But  admitting  that  it  was  delivered  immediately  to 
them,  in  the  I'onn  of  a  national  covenant,  this  does  not 
in  the  least  imply  that  it  was  not  equally  binding,  as 
a  rule  of  obedience,  upon  other  portions  of  the  hu- 
man family.  We  might  as  well  argue  that  the  New 
Testament  belonged  merely  to  the  primitive  Chris- 
tians, because  it  was  delivered  directly  to  them,  and 
constituted  the  rule  of  their  conduct  and  the  basis 
of  their  hopes.  Yea,  we  might  as  well  suppose  that 
no  nation  except  the  Jews  were  bound  not  to  have 
any  other  gods  before  the  Lord,  not  to  kill,  not  to 
commit  adultery,  not  to  steal,  not  to  bear  false  wit- 
ness, as  to  suppose  that  the  Decalogue  was  purely  of 
a  national  character,  and  binding  merely  on  that  peo- 
ple durinp;  their  continuance  as  a  national  church. 
A.nd,  as  the  Decalogue  was  not  merely  national  as  o 


AUTHORITY     FOR  THJ-:  CHANGE  IJ 

tuhokj  so  there  was  nothing  national  in  the  fourth 
commandment.  It  belonged,  equally  with  the  other 
nine,  to  the  entire  family  of  man,  inasmuch  as  the 
essential  reasons  of  all  and  of  either  of  the  command- 
ments, were  of  universal  obligation. 

Again,  that  the  original  Sabbath  was  peculiar  to 
the  Jews,  and  consequently  abrogated  by  the  intro- 
duction of  the  new  dispensation,  is  argued  from  its 
being  specially  urged  upon  them  by  the  consideraton 
of  their  deliverance  from  Egypt.  But  this  argument 
is  of  no  force,  because  the  same  reason  is  urged  in  the 
preface  to  the  entire  Decalogue. 

For  the  same  purpose,  also,  an  argument  is  founded 
upon  the  fact  that  the  fourth  commandment  was  en- 
forced with  a  deadly  penalty.  But  this  argument  also 
fails ;  because  a  similar  penalty  was  annexed  to  the 
breach  of  the  other  precepts  of  this  law.  The  truth 
of  the  case  is,  that  these  penalties  belonged  not  to 
the  Decalogue  itself  as  first  promulgated,  any  more 
than  they  belong  to  it  now  under  the  milder  dispensa- 
tion of  the  Gospel.  They  were  added  in  the  Mosaic 
ritual,  and  constituted  a  part  of  the  political  arrange- 
ments for  the  time  being.  Their  abrogation,  there- 
fore, aftects  not  the  original  law.  Though  there  be 
no  civil  power  now  given  to  the  church  to  enforce 
obedience  to  this  precept  by  temporal  punishments,  as 
formerly,  the  sacredness  and  obligation  of  the  institu- 
tion are  not  thereby  at  all  affected.  The  sin  of  disc- 
bedience  will  be  visited  in  God's  own  time. 

Again,  some  have  inferred  the  abrogation  of  the  ' 
former  Sabbath,  or  at  least  its  change,  from  our  Lord's 
vindication  of  the  act  of  the  disciples,  in  plucking  the 
ears  of  corn,  and  rubbing  them  in  their  hands,  as  they 
passed  through  the  corn-fields  on  the  Sabbath  day, 
and  from  his  saying,  that  "  the  Son  of  Man  is  Lord 
also  of  the  Sabbath  day,"  Mark  2  :  23—28.  But 
there  is  evidently  nothing  in  this  narrative,  or  in  this 


12  THE  SABBATH  ! 

declaration,  to  justify  such  an  inference.  It  must  be 
admitted  on  all  hands,  that  the  fourth  commandment 
was  obligatory,  as  originally  given,  till  the  death  of 
Christ,  if  no  further  ;  and  therefore  Christ,  who 
"  was  made  under  the  law,"  was  bound  to  obey  it  in 
its  original  strictness.  Admitting  that  he  possessed 
the  right,  in  a  given  instance,  to  intermit  its  obligation, 
it  is  not  consistent  to  maintain  that  he  did  it ;  because 
he  came  to  render  perfect  and  universal  obedience. 
Hence  he  affirmed,  that  one  jot  or  one  tittle  should 
in  no  wise  pass  from  the  law  "  till  all  be  fulfilled." 
His  whole  life  was  a  perfect  comment  on  the  require- 
ments of  the  law.  Had  he  failed  in  the  least  particu- 
lar, he  would  have  been  inadequate  to  the  great  pur- 
poses of  our  salvation.  It  is  obvious,  therefore,  that 
the  transaction  alluded  to  was  not,  under  the  circum- 
stances, a  breach  of  the  fourth  commandment,  but  in 
perfect  accordance  with  its  prescriptions — the  labor 
implied  by  the  act  of  the  disciples  being  a  matter  of 
urgent  necessity.  "It  is  lawful,"  said  he,  "to  do 
well  on  the  Sabbath  day."  Neither  does  the  decla- 
ration, that  "  the  Son  of  Man  is  Lord  also  of  the 
Sabbath  day,"  imply  that  he  abrogated  or  chanp-ed  it, 
but  rather  that  he  was  bound  and  engaged  to  protect 
it  as  a  divine  institution,  and  to  enforce  an  enlightened 
and  strict  obedience  to  its  requirements. 

The  foregoing  being  the  principal  proofs  adduced 
for  the  abrogation  of  the  Decalogue,  and  the  orio-inal 
Sabbath,  it  is  evident  that  this  view  of  the  subject 
cannot  be  sustained.  It  is  not  sanctioned  by  any  plain 
scriptural  evidence.  It  is,  therefore,  palpably  absurd 
to  rest  so  important  a  matter  upon  so  slender  a  basis. 
It  is  laying  violent  hands  on  a  code  of  moral  and  im- 
mutable precepts,  given  by  God,  and  promulgated 
under  peculiar  and  terrible  signs  of  purity  and  majes- 
ty, to  vmdicate  a  practice  which  was  introduced  long 
after  the  commencement  of  the  Christian  era. 


ATTTHORITY     FOR   THE  CHANGE.  l'^ 

Another  portion  of  the  observers  of  the  first  oay, 
seeing  the  absurdity  of  holding  to  the  abrogation  of 
the  Decalogue,  and,  consequently,  of  the  Sabbath  of 
the  fourth  commandment,  readily  admit  its  perpetual 
obligation,  but  alledge  that  the  Sabbath  is  changed, 
under  the  new  dispensation,  from  the  seventh  to  th« 
first  day  of  the  week — thus  transferring  the  authority 
for  keeping  the  seventh  day  to  the  first.  It  is  not 
pretended  that  we  have  an  explicit  warrant  from  God, 
pointing  out  and  authorizing  the  change  in  question, 
but  that  we  have  what  is  tantamount  to  such  a  war- 
rant. We  will  examine  the  principal  arguments  for 
this  supposed  change. 

In  the  first  place,  this  change  is  inferred  from  the 
resurrection  of  Christ  on  the  first  day  of  the  week, 
which  is  supposed  to  be  an  event  of  such  magnitude 
as  to  constitute  an  equal  and  even  greater  reason  for 
observing  the  first  day  of  the  week  as  the  weekly 
Sabbath  under  the  new  dispensation,  than  that  which 
existed  for  observing  the  seventh  under  the  old. 
But  what  does  this  argument  amount  to  .''  It  is  not 
perfectly  clear  that  the  resurrection  occurred  on  the 
first  day  of  the  week.  Very  plausible  reasons  may 
De  assigned  for  the  opinion,  that  it  occurred  on  the 
evening  of  the  seventh  day,  although  it  was  not  pub- 
licly declared  till  the  morning  of  the  first.  But  ad- 
mitting that  it  occurred  on  the  morning  of  the  first 
day,  h^w  does  this  prove  that  it  was  substituted  for 
the  seventh  day  as  the  Sabbath  .''  Is  the  inference 
absolutely  necessary  ?  Is  there  any  designation  of 
the  first  day  for  a  sabbatic  purpose  ?  If  another  than 
the  seventh  day  was  in  any  wise  admissible,  as  ac- 
cording better  with  the  Christian  dispensation  and  the 
work  of  redemption,  why  should  we  fix  upon  the  day 
of  Christ's  resurrection,  rather  than  the  day  of  his 
birth,  or  of  his-  crucifixion,  or  of  his  ascension  ?  Will 
it  be  alledged,  as  a  reason  for  the  preference,  that  h« 


14  THE  SABBATH  : 

finished  the  work  of  redemption  on  the  day  of  his 
resurrection  ?  This  reason  might  be  offered  with 
equal  if  not  superior  propriety,  for  commemorating  the 
day  of  his  crucifixion ;  because,  when  he  bowed  his 
head  and  gave  up  the  ghost,  he  said,  "  It  is  finis hed,^^ 
which  is  more  than  is  said  in  reference  to  the  day  of 
his  resurrection.  If  a  day  were  to  be  selected  as  a 
weekly  Sabbath,  which  was  "  validly  the  day  of  re- 
demption," it  seems  most  proper  to  select  the  day  of 
his  death,  which  was  the  end  of  his  temptation  and 
conflict  with  the  powers  of  darkness,  and  the  severest 
test  of  his  obedience  ;  or  the  day  of  his  final  ascen- 
sion, when  he  emphatically  entered  into  his  rest,  and 
was  crowned  King  in  Zion.  If,  therefore,  a  day  were 
to  be  selected,  under  the  new  economy,  for  the  appro- 
priate commemoration  of  the  work  of  redemption, 
as  the  seventh  day  was  for  the  commemoration  of  the 
work  of  creation,  it  is  by  no  means  clear  that  it  should 
be  the  day  of  the  resurrection.  It  might  with  equal, 
perhaps  greater  propriety,  be  some  other  day  of  the 
week.  And  hence,  the  different  preferences  of  Chris- 
tians might  clash,  and  by  that  means  counteract  in  a 
great  measure  the  design  of  a  Sabbath.  But,  in  truth, 
the  argument  from  the  resurrection  in  favor  of  the 
first  day  of  the  week,  rests  upon  the  wisdom  of  man 
and  not  upon  the  appointment  of  God.  It  seems  to 
men  befitting  the  ends  of  a  weekly  Sabbath,  under 
the  Christian  dispensation,  to  observe  the  first  rather 
than  the  seventh  day,  and  hence  a  change  is  inferred, 
without  any  express  authority  from  God  to  that  ef- 
fect ;  as  though  it  were  lawfui  to  change  a  divine 
institution  when  it  appears  to  us  that  greater  reasons 
exist  for  a  change,  than  for  its  unamended  continu- 
ance— a  principle  which  would  justify  all  the  innova- 
tions and  extravagancies  of  Popery.  But  no  such 
power  is  given  unto  men.  However  many  and  im- 
portant the  reasons  which  exist  in  human  view  for 


AUTHORITY  FOR  THE  CHANGE.  16 

the  change  in  the  Sabbath  contended  for,  it  is  invading 
God's  prerogative  to  make  a  change  without  his  ex- 
press warrant.  So  long,  therefore,  as  there  is  no  divine 
enactment  which  goes  to  authorize  this  change,  but 
the  permanent  and  unvaried  nature  of  the  entire 
Decalogue  expressly  forbids  it,  as  does  the  continued 
practice  of  the  primitive  church,  it  is  grossly  erroneous 
and  presumptuous  to  make  it.  This  argument  for  the 
supposed  change  is  surely  without  any  validity. 

In  the  next  place,  it  is  alledged  that  Christ's  ap- 
pearance to  the  disciples,  after  his  resurrection,  on 
the  first  day  of  the  week,  marks  this  as  the  Christian 
Sabbath.  This  argument  is  adopted  both  by  those 
who  hold  to  the  abrogation  of  the  former  institution, 
and  those  who  contend  for  its  change.  But,  in 
reality,  it  is  as  devoid  of  solid  weight  as  the  one  pre- 
viously examined.  It  is  easy  to  account  for  his  ap- 
pearing in  the  course  of  the  day  of  his  resurrection, 
or  of  the  first  declaration  of  it,  because  the  earliest 
information  of  this  great  event  was  of  the  utmost 
importance  to  the  afflicted  and  desponding  disciples. 
It  was  important,  also,  as  a  testimony  to  the  truth  of 
the  Savior's  prediction  that  he  would  rise  on  the 
third  day.  There  is  nothing  in  his  several  appear- 
ances during  that  day,  which  seems  intended  for  any 
other  purpose  than  giving  the  necessary  proof  of  his 
resurrection,  and  the  light  and  consolation  whicn  the 
circumstances  of  the  disciples  required.  There  is 
nothing  in  either  of  them  which  favors  the  idea  of  a 
new  Sabbath.  But  the  circumstance  of  his  appearing 
to  the  two  disciples  who  were  on  a  journey  to  Em- 
maus,  and  traveling  a  while  with  them,  which  was  a 
distance  much  too  long  for  a  Sabbath  day's  journey, 
expressly  forbids  it,  as  it  shows  that  it  was  regarded 
as  a  day  foi  labor.  And  as  to  his  appearance  the  fol- 
lowing evening,  there  is  nothing  in  that  circumstance 
which  savors  of  a  newly  appointed  Sabbath.     Th« 


16  THE    SABBATH  J 

disciples  ^vere  not  assembled  together  to  keep  a  Sab- 
bath,  but  ''  for  fear  of  the  Jews  "  Besides,  accord- 
ing to  the  Jewish  method  of  reckoning  time,  this 
evening  actually  belonged  to  the  second  day  of  the 
week.  So  that  all  which  is  said  concerning  his  ap- 
pearances on  this  day  and  evening,  is  perfectly  devoid 
of  proof  of  a  change  of  the  Sabbath. 

As  to  the  next  appearance  recorded,  there  is  no 
evidence  that  it  occurred  on  the  first  day  of  the  week 
The  record  states,  that  "  After  eight  days,  again  his 
disciples  were  within,  and  Thomas  with  them.  Then 
came  Jesus,  the  doors  being  shut,  and  stood  in  the 
midst,  and  said,  Peace  be  unto  you."  Surely  the 
phrase,  "and  after  eight  days,"  cannot  be  fairly  con- 
strued to  mean  a  week.  Who  can  tell  but  that  he 
appeared  on  the  ninth  day  after  his  first  appearance  ? 
But  even  if  it  could  be  so  interpreted  as  to  mean  pre- 
cisely a  week,  and  hence  to  show  that  his  second  ap- 
pearance took  place  on  the  first  day,  as  before,  it  would 
be  no  proof  of  the  point  in  question,  because  the 
subject  of  the  Sabbath  was  not  introduced  in  any 
form. 

The  next  instance  of  his  appearing  is  very  far  from 
corroborating  the  opinion  that  he  sanctioned  the  first 
day  as  the  New  Testament  Sabbath  by  appearing  on 
it  ;  for  the  disciples,  or  some  of  them,  were  fishing 
at  the  sea  of  Tiberias,  and  consequently  were  not 
observing  the  first  day  as  a  Sabbath.  Indeed,  this 
appearance  must  have  taken  place  as  late  as  the 
second  day  of  the  week,  if  not  later  :  for  they  had 
been  engaged  in  fishing,  as  the  record  will  show,  the 
day  before  he  appeared  to  them.  And  they  could  not 
have  been  so  engaged  o«  the  seventh  day,  because  it 
would  have  been  contrary  to  the  universal  and  un- 
broken practice  of  their  nation.  Hence  it  could  not 
have  been  on  the  first  day  of  the  week  that  Christ 
appeared  to  them.     It  must  have  been  on  the  second 


AUTHORITY  FOR  THE  CHANGE.  17 

or  some  later  day  of  the  week.  The  argument,  there- 
fore, from  the  several  appearances  of  Christ,  amounts 
to  nothing. 

The  next,  and  the  principal  argument  for  the 
change  of  the  Sabbath,  is  the  supposed  Apostolic 
practice  of  meeting  on  the  first  day  of  the  week  for 
public  worship  and  the  breaking  of  bread.  It  is  often 
confidently  affirmed,  that  the  keeping  of  the  first  day 
instead  of  the  seventh  is  sanctioned  by  Apostolic 
usage.  The  proof  of  this  position  rests  mainly  on 
two  passages.     Let  us  examine  them. 

The  first  is  Acts  20  :  7.  "  And  upon  the  first  day 
of  the  week,  when  the  disciples  came  together  to 
break  bread,  Paul  preached  unto  them,  ready  to  de- 
part on  the  morrow,  and  continued  his  speech  until 
midnight."  But  is  there  any  thing  in  this  transaction, 
or  the  attendant  circumstances,  which  clearly  and  un- 
deniabl}^  proves  an  Apostolic  example  in  favor  of  a 
new  Sabbath,  or  of  keeping  the  first  day  of  the  week, 
in  any  manner,  as  a  substitute  for  the  former  institu- 
tion ?  Surely  there  is  not.  The  passage  does  not  so 
much  as  prove  that  the  practice  of  meeting  for  wor- 
ship on  the  first  day  of  the  week  was  then  common 
and  general.  But  if  it  did,  it  would  not  determine 
the  change  contended  for.  There  is  nothing  said  in 
the  narrative,  which  characterizes  it  as  a  Sabbath. 
Assembling  for  public  worship  is  proper  on  any  day 
of  the  week  ;  and  so  is  the  breaking  of  bread.  The 
Supper  was  first  administered  on  one  of  the  six  work- 
ing days  ;  and  there  is  nothing  in  the  Scriptures  which 
restricts  its  subsequent  administration  to  a  particular 
day — not  even  to  the  authorized  Sabbath.  Besides, 
in  this  case,  the  breaking  of  bread  was  deferred  till 
after  midnight.  Of  course,  according  to  the  Jewish 
reckoning  of  time,  it  was  attended  actually  on  the 
second  day ;  and  this  must  have  been  the  case,  also, 
according  to  the  prevailing  custom  ara€)ng  observers 


18  THE    SABBATH  ! 

of  the  first  day,  of  commencing  the  day  at  midnight. 
It  seems,  therefore,  that  the  Apostle  and  his  brerhren 
were  not  very  precise  in  regard  to  its  being  done  on 
the  first  day.  Let  the  most  be  made  of  this  passage, 
and  it  lacks  a  divine  designation  of  the  first  day  as 
the  Christian  Sabbath  ;  and  hence  it  is  entirely  want- 
ing as  to  the  requisite  evidence  of  a  change  in  the 
sabbatic  law.  Surely,  if  there  had  been  such  a 
change,  and  this,  with  one  more  instance  of  meeting 
on  the  first  day  of  the  week,  were  to  contain  the  evi- 
dence for  all  after  generations,  we  should  have  been 
informed  of  the  fact.  Something  would  have  been 
said  to  determine  that  the  first  day  of  the  week  was 
regarded  as  a  Sabbath,  and  that  it  had  taken  the  place 
of  the  seventh.  But  there  is  nothing  of  this.  The 
record  is  perfectly  silent  in  regard  to  either  point. 
Besides,  it  is  evident  that  the  original  Sabbath  con- 
tinued to  be  observed,  as  already  noticed,  throughout 
the  entire  period  of  New  Testament  history.  This 
is  so  plain  a  fact,  that  no  one  who  gives  the  subject 
a  candid  examination  will  deny  it.  This  shows  the 
opinion  of  a  new  Sabbath — observed,  as  it  must  have 
been,  in  connection  with  the  Sabbath  of  the  fourth 
commandment,  and  without  a  word  being  said  on  the 
subject,  or  the  least  objection,  stir,  query,  or  excite- 
ment whatever  being  raised — to  be  perfectly  prepos- 
terous. Such  is  the  result  of  this  reasoning  from  a 
supposed  Apostolic  example,  giving  the  passage  its 
w'idest  possible  scope,  as  implying  a  common  practice 
of  meeting  for  public  worship  on  the  first  day  of  the 
week.  But  in  reality  there  is  nothing  in  this  text 
which  proves  or  implies  that  such  a  practice  was 
common  at  that  period.  For  aught  appears,  it  might 
have  been  an  occasional  meeting,  appointed  merely 
in  consequence  of  Paul's  being  about  to  depart  on  the 
morrow.  Therefore,  to  adopt  a  practice  so  important 
&8  the  one  in  question,  upon  such  vague,  uncertain, 


AUTHORITY  FOR  THE  CHANGE.  19 

and  inadequate  testimony — especially  when,  in  order 
thereto,  we  must  dispose  of  a  plain  and  positive  com- 
mand of  God  respecting  the  observance  of  the  seventh 
day,  and  of  a  usage  as  old  as  the  completion  of  the 
creation — is  unreasonable  in  the  extreme. 

Another  passage  quoted  in  proof  of  an  Apostolic 
■jxample  of  keeping  the  first  day  of  the  week,  and, 
consequeiuly,  in  support  of  the  opinion  that  the  Sab- 
bath is  changed,  is  1  Corinthians  16  :  2.  "  Upon 
the  first  day  of  the  week  let  every  one  of  you  lay  by 
him  in  store,  as  God  hath  prospered  him,  that  there 
be  no  gatherings  when  1  ccrne.''  This  passage,  like 
the  others,  does  not  imply  that  the  first  day  was  then 
commonly  and  generally  regarded  as  a  day  for  public 
worship.  Indeed,  it  does  not  necessarily  imply  a 
public  meeting  of  any  kind.  The  direction  for  "  every 
one  to  iay  by  him  in  store,"  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor 
saints  al  Jerusalem,  "  on  the  first  day  of  the  week," 
necessarily  amounts  to  no  more  than  an  appointment  of 
this  day  to  make  up  their  bounty  at  home^  so  that  it 
might  In*  sure  to  be  ready  when  the  Apostle  should 
come — a  very  judicious  arrangement,  as  the  time  of 
his  coming  for  it  was  uncertain,  and  he  would  not 
know  how  to  w^ait.  But  if  it  be  understood  to  imply 
any  thing  more,  it  is  simply  that  they  should  bring 
their  donations  together  publicly  on  the  first  day  of 
the  w^eek,  so  as  to  be  prepared  in  the  fullest  sense  for 
the  Aposile's  visit.  Therefore,  according  to  this  view 
of  the  case,  it  proves  no  more  than  an  occasional 
meetini^  on  this  day  for  the  purpose  of  a  public  con- 
tribution for  an  important  object  of  benevolence.  But 
even  if  it  could  be  so  construed  as  clearly  to  imply 
that  it  was  then  a  common  and  general  practice  to 
meet  for  public  worship  and  instruction  on  this  day, 
it  wouii  not  thereby  be  pointed  out  to  us  as  the 
Christi.ni  Sabbath,  and  a  substitute  for  the  seventh 
day,  seeing  that  it  contains  no  information  to  that  ei- 


20  THE    SABBATH  : 

feet,  and  that  no  divine  warrant  appears  on  any  pari 
of  the  New  Testament  records  for  the  supposed 
change.  Meetings  for  public  worship,  taking  up  of 
collections,  and  even  breaking  of  bread,  do  not  con 
stitute  a  Sabbath,  though  they  are  proper  exercises 
for  such  a  day.  To  sabbatize  is  to  rest  from  our  own 
secular  labors,  and  keep  a  season  holy  to  God.  These 
proofs  for  a  change  of  the  Sabbath,  therefore,  which 
are  unquestionably  the  best  that  can  be  produced,  are 
utterly  deficient,  and  the  argument  therefrom,  a? 
generally  presented,  is  deceptive,  and  unworthy  of 
confidence. 

Another  of  the  proofs  adduced  for  the  supposed 
change  of  the  Sabbath,  is  the  following  prediction. 
Psalm  118:  22—24.  "  The  stone  which  the  builders 
refused  is  become  the  head  stone  of  the  corner 
This  is  the  Lord's  doing  ;  it  is  marvelous  in  oui 
eyes.  This  is  the  day  which  the  Lord  hath  made  ; 
we  will  rejoice  and  be  glad  in  it."  But  this,  like  all 
the  previous  quotations,  wants  solidity.  The  main 
points  in  the  argument  are  assumed.  First,  it  is  as- 
sumed, that  Christ's  becoming  the  head  of  the  corner 
refers  to  the  day  of  his  resurrection  ;  whereas  there 
is  no  conclusive  evidence  that  it  refers  to  this  rather 
than  to  the  day  of  his  birth,  or  of  his  entrance  on  his 
public  ministry,  or  of  his  final  ascension  into  heaven. 
Next,  it  is  assumed  that  the  day  spoken  of  is  a  natural 
day  of  twenty-four  hours  ;  whereas  this  word  is  often 
used  to  designate  an  indefinite  period  of  time — par- 
ticularly the  Gospel  era  (John  S  :  56) — and  may  very 
probably  be  so  used  here.  Again,  it  is  assumed,  that 
the  day  mentioned  is  the  first  day  of  the  week ; 
whereas  there  is  nothing  which  designates  this  rather 
than  some  other  in  the  course  of  his  mediatorial  work, 
allowing  a  natural  day  to  be  referred  to  And  even 
if  the  resurrection  day  be  intended,  it  is  not  certain 
that  this  occurred  on  the  first  day  of  the  week.     It  is 


AUTHORITY  FOR  THE  CHANGE.         21 

further  assumed,  that  the  emphasis  which  is  laid  on 
the  day  alluded  to  as  "  the  day  which  the  Lord  hath 
made,"  and  in  which  the  church  would  "  rejoice  and 
be  glad,"  determines  it  to  be  the  New  Testament 
Sabbath  in  distinction  from  the  Sabbath  of  the  fourth 
commandment ;  whereas  there  is  nothing  in  these  cir 
cumstances  which  necessarily  intimates  any  such 
change,  while  there  are  various  important  considera 
tions  by  which  this  opinion  is  absolutely  precluded. 
The  entire  argument,  therefore,  fails. 

Another  argument  for  the  change  of  the  Sabbath 
is  based  upon  the  supposition  that  the  day  of  Pente 
cost  occurred  on  the  first  day  of  the  week,  which  was 
a  remarkable  season  of  the  outpouring  of  the  Spirit, 
and  of  Christ's  triumph  as  the  risen  and  exalted  Sa- 
vior. But  this  will  appear,  on  a  very  little  examina- 
tion, to  be  wholly  inconclusive.  In  the  first  place,  it 
is  far  from  being  conclusively  proved  that  this  event 
occurred  on  the  first  day  of  the  week.  It  is  much 
more  likely  to  have  occurred  either  on  the ///^  or  the 
seventh.  Indeed,  it  is  quite  manifest  from  the  best 
calculations  that  can  be  made,  from  the  time  of  eating 
the  passover  supper,  the  first  paschal  sabbath,  the 
crucifixion  and  the  resurrection,  that  it  occurred  on 
one  or  the  other  of  these  days.  Secondly,  if  the 
feast  of  Pentecost  had  actually  occurred  on  the  first 
day  of  the  week,  this  would  furnish  no  proof  of  its 
being  the  New  Testament  Sabbath,  in  the  absence  of 
a  divine  warrant  to  that  effect. 

There  is  one  other  argument  for  the  change  in  ques- 
tion, founded  on  the  supposed  application  of  the  title 
"  the  Lord's  day,"  to  the  first  day  of  the  week.  The 
only  passage  referred  to  for  the  purpose  of  sustaining 
it,  is  Revelations  1  :  10.  ^'  I  was  in  the  spirit  on  the 
Lord's  day."  But  that  the  day  here  called  the  Lord's 
day,  is  the  first  day  of  the  week,  is  merely  assumed, 
and  hence  is  not  to  be  considered  as  proved.     It  is 


22  THE    SABBATH  : 

»ot,  in  fact,  probable  that  this  is  the  day  referred  to. 
(t  is  much  more  likely  that  the  expression  here  used 
"•efers  to  the  day  of  Christ's  reign  ;  and  that  St.  John 
meant  to  declare  that  in  spirit  he  had  a  view  of  the 
scenes  of  that  period.  This  use  of  the  term  day  is 
sanctioned  by  the  Savior's  declaration,  "  Abraham 
rejoiced  to  see  my  day,"  (John  8  :  56,)  as  well  as  by 
the  Psalmist's,  who,  when  speaking  of  the  glories 
of  Christ's  kingdom,  says,  *'  This  is  the  day  which 
the  Lord  hath  made  ;  we  will  rejoice  and  be  glad  in 
it,"  (Psalm  118:  23.)  The  nature  of  the  visions 
afterwards  described  also  corroborates  this  view  of 
the  passage,  and  warrants  the  opinion  that  the  ex- 
pression "  Lord's  day,"  (or,  as  some  translate  it, 
lordly  day,)  here  used,  does  not  refer  to  a  natural  day, 
but  to  a  longer  period  of  time.  If,  however,  these 
words  be  understood  to  refer  to  a  natural  day,  it  is 
more  likely  to  be  the  seventh  day,  which  God  had 
blessed  and  sanctified  for  his  special  service,  than  the 
first  day.  The  seventh  day  is  called  by  Him  "  my 
holy  day,^^  and  "  the  holy  of  the  Lord'''' — phrases  very 
similar  to  the  one  in  this  passage.  This  v/as  also  the 
Sabbath  which  was  made  for  man,  and  of  which 
Christ  says  he  is  Lord.  And  since  it  was  observed 
up  to  the  close  of  the  New  Testament  history,  it 
would  be  perfectly  natural  for  John  to  speak  of  it  as 
"  the  Lord's  day."  Further,  there  is  no  evidence 
that  the  first  day  of  the  week  was  denominated  the 
Lord's  day,  at  so  early  a  period.  Only  one  writer 
mentions  the  expression  till  towards  the  close  of  the 
second  century  ;  and  the  reputed  author  of  this  pas- 
sage, when  speaking,  in  his  Gospel,  (which  was  writ- 
ten some  years  later  than  the  Apocalypse,)  of  the 
resurrection  of  Christ,  and  the  first  day  of  the  week, 
never  intimates  that  the  day  should  be  called  by  any 
other  name.  The  learned  Morer,  though  an  advo- 
cate for  the  first  day,  in  mentioning  the  diff*ereyl  days 


AUTHORITY  FOR  THE  CHANGE.         23 

to  which  this  phrase  may  be  applied,  acknowledges 
the  entire  uncertainty  as  to  what  day  is  intended, 
and  says,  "  It  is  very  likely  that  the  more  solemn  and 
public  use  of  the  words  was  not  observed  until  about 
the  time  of  Sylvester  II.,  when,  by  Constantine's 
command,  it  became  an  injunction."  It  is  evident, 
therefore,  that  this  passage  cannot  justly  be  used  as 
proof  that  the  Sabbath  had  been  transferred  to  the 
first  day  of  the  week. 

We  have  now  examined  the  proofs  commonly  ad- 
duced for   the  abrogation  or  chan2;e  of  the  original 

o  o  o 

Sabbath,  and  have  found  them  utterly  insufficient  and 
deceptive.  Hence  the  claims  of  the  Sabbath  of  the 
fourth  commandment,  without  alteration,  are  fully 
sustained.  The  advocates  for  the  first  day  are  aware 
that  if  an  abrogation  or  change  of  the  original  Sab- 
bath law  cannot  be  made  out,  the  seventh  day  is  still 
the  true  Sabbath.  Dr.  Dwight,  for  instance,  makes 
the  following  admission  :  "  If  we  cannot  find  in  the 
Scriptures  plain  and  ample  proof  of  the  abrogation 
of  the  original  day,  or  the  substitution  of  a  new  one, 
the  seventh  day  undoubtedly  remains  in  full  force  and 
obligation,  and  is  now  to  be  celebrated  by  all  the  race 
of  Adam."  Here,  then,  the  laboring  oar  is  confess- 
edly put  into  the  hands  of  the  advocates  of  the  first 
day  ;  and  with  what  success  they  have  used  it,  the 
foregoing  examination  will  show.  We  ask,  is  it  not 
a  total  failure  ?  Has  such  '^  plain  and  ample  proof" 
been  produced  from  the  Scriptures  for  the  supposed 
abrogation  or  change  .''  Indeed,  it  is  evident  that 
neither  one  nor  the  other  of  these  things  is  practica- 
ble. An  abrogation  is  not  practicable  ;  for  the  Deca- 
logue, in  which  the  law  of  the  Sabbath  is  contained, 
is  unchangeable.  "  Not  one  jot  or  one  tittle  shall  in 
any  wise  pass  from  the  law,  till  all  be  fulfilled  ;  " 
which  imolies   its  continued  obligation,   as  long  as 


24  THE    5ABBATH  ' 

moral  beings  exist.  And  the  change  contended  for  is 
not  practicable  ;  because  the  substitution  of  anothei 
day  for  the  seventh  would  annul  the  institution. 
It  contains  no  warrant  to  keep  the  first  day  of  the 
week  as  a  Sabbath,  but  the  seventh  only.  Its  au- 
thority is  limited  to  the  seventh  day,  and  cannot  be 
transferred.  The  reason  given  for  its  institution,  like- 
wise, is  hmited  to  this  day.  It  is  obvious  that  it  will 
not  apply  to  another.  The  Sabbath  law,  therefore, 
contains  no  warrant  whatever  for  the  observance  of 
the  first  day  of  the  week.  II  the  day  is  changed,  the 
institution  is  annulled  ;  and  another  institution,  in 
some  respects  similar,  but  not  in  all,  is  introduced,  in 
the  total  absence  of  divine  authority,  and  hence  rests 
altogether  upon  that  which  is  human.  This  consider- 
ation, of  itself,  shows  the  absurdity  of  holding  to  the 
change  of  the  original  day,  while  the  validity  of  the 
entire  Decalogue  is  admitted. 

I' rom  what  has  been  here  presented,  it  is  evident 
that  the  Scriptures  do  not  authorize  the  abrogation  or 
change  of  the  original  Sabbath,  but  enforce  its  ob- 
servance by  precept  and  example.  The  opposite 
view  is  supported  wholly  by  tradition  and  human 
authority,  as  an  impartial  examination  of  the  history 
of  the  change  will  show.  Have  we  not  a  right  to 
expect,  then,  that  when  the  great  body  of  professing 
Christians  shall  become  enlightened  on  this  subject, 
and  have  sufficient  grace  and  fortitude  to  act  up  to 
their  convictions,  the  result  will  be,  a  general  return 
to  the  faithful  keeping  of  the  Sabbath  of  the  fourth 
commandment  ? 


Published  by  llip  American  Sabbat-  Tract  Socic^w, 
No.  9  Spruce  Street,  ^    ^ 


[Nn.4.] 


SiBBiTH  AND    LORD'S  DAY; 


HISTORY  OF  THEIR  OBSERVANCE 


THE  CHRISTIAN  CHURCH. 


NEW  YORK  : 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  AMERICAN  SABBATH  TRACT  SOCIETY, 

No.  9  Spruce-Street 

1852. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  SABBATH. 


In  the  preceding  numbers  of  this  series  of  Tracts,  we 
have  given  an  account  of  the  institution  of  the  Sabbath, 
and  the  reasons  for  believing  it  to  be  moral  and  per- 
petually binding,  together  with  an  examination  of  the 
authority  for  a  change  of  the  day.  As  the  result  of 
this  examination,  we  have  been  driven  to  the  conclusion, 
that  the  Sabbath  was  given  to  man  in  Paradise  ;  that 
the  fourth  commandment  was  but  a  reenforcement  of 
it ;  that  the  Scriptures  do  not  authorize  a  change  of 
the  day  of  the  Sabbath ;  and  that,  therefore,  the  sev- 
enth day  of  the  ireek  ought  noio  to  he  observed  by  all 
men.  But  there  are  many  persons  who  admit  the 
early  institution  of  the  Sabbath,  and  the  absence  of  any 
authority  from  the  Scriptures  for  a  change,  yet  sup- 
pose that  the  example  of  the  early  Christians,  and  the 
sayings  of  "  the  Fathers,"  wan-ant  them  in  observing 
the  first  day  of  the  week,  to  the  neglect  of  the  seventh. 
For  the  benefit  of  such,  we  now  come  to  consider  the 
history  of  the  Sabbath  since  the  establishment  of  the 
Christian  Church.  By  consenting  to  do  this,  it  is  not 
meant  to  admit,  that  if  a  regard  for  the  first  day  of  the 
week  can  be  traced  to  near  the  time  of  the  Apostles, 


4  HISTORY  OP 

it  is  necessarily  of  apostolic  authority ;  for  it  is  affirm- 
ed by  St.  Paul,  that  even  in  his  time  "  the  mystery  of 
iniquity  had  begun  to  work."  We  believe  that  "  the 
Holy  Scripture  containeth  all  things  necessary  to  sal- 
vation, so  that  whatsoever  is  not  read  therein,  nor 
may  be  proved  thereby,  is  not  to  be  required  of  any 
man ;"  and  we  cannot  admit,  therefore,  that  the  early 
existence  of  the  practice  is  sufficient  to  give  it  divine 
authority,  unless  sanctioned  by  the  inspired  writings. 
In  order  to  establish  the  claims  of  the  first  day  of  the 
week  to  be  the  Sabbath,  two  things  are  indispensable  : 
1.  To  prove  from  the  Scriptures  that  the  seventh  day 
(which  all  acknowledge  to  have  been  originally  the 
Sabbath)  has  been  abrogated.  2.  To  show  from  the 
same  source  that  the  first  day  has  been  appointed  in  the 
place  of  the  seventh.  It  is  not  sufficient  to  prove  that 
a  religious  regard  was  early  paid  to  the  first  day.  There 
is  an  important  distinction  between  the  Sabhath  and  a 
religious  festival;  the  former  requiring  abstinence 
fi-om  all  ordinary  labor,  and  devotion  of  a  whole  day  to 
the  public  and  private  duties  of  religion ;  the  latter 
requiring  only  the  commemoration  of  some  important 
event,  and  allowing  the  time  not  occupied  in  the  public 
celebration  of  it  to  be  devoted  to  labor  or  amusement. 
That  this  distinction  was  understood  to  exist  between 
the  regard  for  the  seventh  day  and  that  for  the  first  day, 
seems  evident  fi'om  the  fact  that  in  the  early  history  of 
the  chuf-ch  no  Christians  are  charged  with  abandoning 
the  Sabbath,  while  we  are  assured  that  after  the  meet- 
ings on  the  first  day  of  the  week  they  went  about  their 
ordinary  labor.  This  apparently  innocent  regard  for 
the  day  on  which  Christ  first  appeared  to  his  disciples 
after  his  resurrection,  it  is  believed,  has  given  rise  to 
the  whole  apostacy  from  the  Sabbath.  The  follow- 
ing pages  are  designed  to  show  the  steps  by  which  it 
was  brought  about. 


THE    SABBATH.  5 

Tho  Sabbath  in  the  Apostolic  Church* 

Before  entering  upon  the  history  of  the  Sabbath,  as 
it  is  derived  from  uninspired  records,  it  is  proper 
to  inquire  how  it  was  regarded  by  Jesus  Christ  and 
his  Apostles. 

That  Jesus  Christ  embraced  the  observance  of  the 
Sabbath  among  other  duties  enjoined  in  the  Decalogue, 
is  evident  from  Matt.  5  :  17  : — "  Think  not  ihat  I  am 
come  to  destroy  the  law  or  the  prophets  ;  I  am  not 
come  to  destroy,  but  to  fulfill ;  for  verily  I  say  unto 
you,  till  heaven  and  earth  pass,  one  jot  or  one  tittle 
shall  in  no  wise  pass  from  the  law,  till  all  be  fulfilled." 
He  here  declared  the  precepts  of  this  law,  without 
distinction,  to  be  permanent  and  unchangeable.  Had 
he  commanded  his  disciples  to  keep  the  Sabbath,  by 
enacting  a  new  precept,  it  would  have  been  equivalent 
to  saying  that  he  considered  it  in  the  light  of  a  cere- 
monial and  expiring  institution,  which,  in  truth,  it  was 
not.  He  therefore  most  wisely  enforced  all  those  pre- 
cepts as  inseparable,  unchangeable,  and  unrepealable. 
And  he  plainly  said,  in  the  connection  refeiTed  to,  that 
no  person  is  worthy  of  a  place  in  his  church,  who  will 
break  any  one  of  these  commandments,  or  teach  others 
to  do  so.  In  all  his  subsequent  allusions  to  this  sub- 
ject, he  speaks  of  the  Sabbath  as  an  ancient  and  well- 
established  ordinance,  founded  in  the  nature  and  fitness 
of  things,  made  for  and  adapted  to  the  uses  of  man- 
kind. (Mark  2  :  27.)  His  example  was  in  strict  con- 
formity with  his  teachings  on  this  subject.  His  "  cus- 
torn  "  was  to  go  to  places  of  public  worship,  and  to 
preach  the  Gospel  on  the  Sabbath.  His  disciples,  be- 
mg  educated  in  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath,  could 
have  entertained  no  doubts  as  to  its  pei*j3etuity,  nor 
have  reasons  to  suppose  that  Christianity  relaxed  their 
obligation  to  observe  it.     It  is  very  certain,  that  during 


HISTORY  OP 


llie  whole  time  that  our  Lord  was  with  his  disciples 
before  his  death,  he  p^ave  no  intimation  to  them  that 
the  duty  of  keeping  the  Sabbath  was  to  be  in  any  wise 
affected  by  his  death  ;  and  we  find  that  after  this  event, 
the  disciples  "  rested  the  Sabbath  day,  according  to  the 
commandment."  (Luke  23  :  56.)  Further,  our  Saviour 
himself,  when  speaking  of  the  destruction  of  Jerusa- 
lem, an  event  not  to  take  place  until  forty  years  after 
his  death,  tells  his  disciples  to  pray  that  their  flight 
might  not  be  on  the  Sabbath  day.  It  is  difficult  to 
conceive  why  this  day  should  be  spoken  of  at  so  late 
a  period,  unless  it  was  to  continue. 

The  same  views  respecting  the  sacredness  of  the 
Sabbath  seem  to  have  been  entertained  by  the  Apos- 
tles, after  the  resuiTection  of  Christ,  that  they  held  be- 
fore his  death  ;  and  they  appear  to  have  occupied  that 
day  as  they  had  formerly  done,  in  attending  places  of 
public  worship,  and  preaching  the  Gospel.  See  Acts 
13  :  14,  42,  44,  where  it  is  said,  "  They  came  to  An- 
tioch,  in  Pisidia,  and  went  into  the  synagogue  on  the 
Sabbath  day."  After  Paul  had  preached  Christ  as  the 
true  Messiah,  "  and  when  the  Jews  were  gone  out  of 
the  synagogue,  the  Gentiles  besought  that  these  words 
might  be  preached  to  them  the  next  Sabbath."  "  And 
the  next  Sabbath  day  came  almost  the  whole  city  to- 
gether to  hear  the  word  of  God."  Or,  see  Acts  16  : 
13,  where,  "  on  the  Sabbath  we  went  out  of  the  city, 
by  a  river  side,  where  prayer  was  wont  to  be  made." 
Or  Acts  15  :  21 — "  For  Moses,  of  old  time,  hath  in 
every  city  them  that  preach  him,  being  read  in  the 
synagogue  every  Sabbaih  day."  This  last  passage  is 
given  by  St.  James  as  a  reason  why  they  should  write 
to  the  Gentile  converts  only  that  "  they  abstain  from 
things  offered  to  idols,"  &c.  From  this  it  is  apparent 
that  the  custom  was  common,  both  to  hold  meetings  on 
the  Sabbath  day,  and  for  the  Gentile  Christians  to  at- 


THE    SABIIATH.  7 

tend  tliose  meetings.  If  it  was  not  common,  the  read- 
ing of  Moses  would  not  benefit  them.  If  it  was  com- 
mon, then  they  kept  the  Sabbath. 

St.  Paul,  in  1  Thess.  2  :  14,  says  to  the  Thessaloni 
ans,  "  For  ye,  brethren,  became  followers  (imitators) 
of  the  churches  of  God,  which  in  Judea  are  in  Christ 
Jesus."  And  as  these  Gentile  Christians  were  follow- 
ers of  the  churches  in  Judea,  so  they  were  ensamples, 
or  patterns,  to  all  the  believers  in  Macedonia  and 
Achaia.  (Ch.  1  :  7.)  As  to  the  character  of  the 
churches  in  Judea  touching  the  Sabbath,  we  need 
only  to  consult  Acts  21  :  20.  It  is  there  asserted,  that 
there  were  many  thousands  of  the  Jews  who  believed, 
and  that  they  were  all  zealous  of  the  law.  And  the 
context  shows  that  they  were  zealous  of  even  the 
ceremonies  of  the  Jewish  ritual.  Hence  we  infer, 
that  there  was  uniformity  with  the  Jewish  and  Gen- 
tile Christians,  in  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath,  and 
that  the  whole  apostolic  church  religiously  kept  it. 

Notwithstanding  the  Sabbath  continued  to  be  ob- 
served until  the  sacred  canon  was  closed,  it  has  been 
quite  common,  since  the  Reformation,  to  refer  to  cer- 
tain passages  of  Scripture  as  indicating  that  the  first 
day  had  been,  or  was  to  be,  substituted  for  the  seventh. 
It  is  said  that  Christ's  meeting  with  his  disciples  on  the 
evening  of  his  resuiTection  day  indicates  that  it  was 
to  be  religiously  regarded  thereafter.  Those  who 
make  such  use  of  this  circumstance  seem  to  overlook, 
what  it  is  very  important  to  remember,  that  two  of  the 
disciples  traveled  from  Jerusalem  to  Emmaus  and 
back  on  that  day,  a  distance  of  fifteen  miles,  and  a  part 
of  this  in  company  with  the  Saviour.  This  fact  alone 
shows  that  it  could  not  have  been  regarded  as  a  Sab- 
bath. Nor  is  there  any  thing  in  the  circumstances 
of  the  meeting  to  indicate  it.     The  disciples  were  not 


JIISTORY    OF 


all  present,  and  those  who  were  present  had  assembled 
for  other  reasons,  without  any  expectation  of  seeing 
the  Master. 

The  meeting  '^  after  eight  days ''^  affords  no  help. 
Who  can  say  positively  that  this  expression  means  a 
week  ?  Or,  granting  that  it  does  mean  a  week,  what 
does  the  passage  make  for  the  religious  character  of 
the  first  day  ?  Jesus  met  his  disciples  on  one  occasion 
when  fishing,  and  was  seen  of  them  forty  days.  Now, 
if  his  meeting  with  them  proves  the  day  of  that  meet- 
ing to  be  a  Sabbath,  a  fishing  day  would  be  such,  and 
the  whole  forty. 

In  regard  to  those  two  places,  (Acts  20  :  7,  and 
1  Cor.  16  :  2,)  where  the  expression  '■'■  first  day  of  the 
week  "  occurs,  they  make  nothing  for  the  sanctification 
of  the  day,  since  there  is  no  hint  of  any  such  thing. 
The  meetings  there  spoken  of  were  for  special  purpos- 
es, and  nothing  was  done  at  either  which  might  not 
with  perfect  propriety  have  been  done  on  any  day.  It 
is  not  quite  certain  that  the  passage,  "  They  came  to- 
gether to  break  bread,"  refers  to  the  Lord's  Supper- 
Indeed,  both  St.  Chrysostom  among  the  ancients,  and 
Calvin  among  the  moderns,  deny  that  it  was  to  cele- 
brate the  Supper,  and  refer  it  to  a  friendly  meal. 

The  text.  Rev.  1:10,  where  St.  John  was  "  in  the 
spirit  on  the  Lord's  day,'''  is  likewise  not  a  good  proof 
text.  That  reference  is  there  had  to  the  first  day  of 
the  week,  is  by  no  means  certain.  There  are  some 
who  refer  it  to  a  much  longer  period — to  the  gospel 
era ;  while  others,  among  whom  is  Bede,  refer  it  to 
the  day  of  judgment.  The  fact  that  none  of  those 
who  early  mention  the  Lord's  day  refer  to  this  passage, 
is  much  against  it.  In  these  circumstances,  it  would 
not  be  safe  to  draw  conclusions  in  regard  to  practice 
therefrom.  Indeed,  none  of  the  earliest  writers  found 
the  observance  of  the  Lord's  day  upon  the  Scriptures, 


THE    SABIJATII.  9 

Observance  of  the  Sabbath  frniii  the  time  of  rhe  Apostles  to 
Coiistantiiie. 

Thus  far  we  have  been  guided* by  the  inspired  Scrip- 
tures, and  we  think  they  prove  beyond  dispute,  that 
the  Christians  of  the  apostohc  age  had  received  no 
new  doctrine  concerning  the  Sabbath,  but  continued 
without  any  change  to  devote  the  seventh  day  of  the 
week  to  the  duties  of  religion.  But  we  now  enter  a 
period  in  which  the  history  of  the  Sabbath  must  be 
derived  from  other  sources.  It  may  be  difficult  to 
trace  exactly  every  step  which  has  been  taken,  as  the 
histories  of  the  early  ages  are  very  defective  on  many 
subjects.  They  have  come  to  us,  to  a  considerable 
extent,  through  the  church  of  Rome ;  and  since  she 
claims  to  have  changed  the  day  of  the  Sabbath,  it  is 
not  to  be  expected  that  testimony  against  herself  would 
be  very  faithfully  preserved.  In  pursuing  our  sketch, 
we  shall  follow  the  best  lights  we  have  to  guide  us. 

After  the  period  described  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apos- 
tles, Christianity  soon  became  widely  spread  in  the 
Roman  empire,  which,  at  that  time,  extended  over 
most  of  the  civilized  world.  But  as  it  receded  from 
the  time  of  the  Apostles,  and  the  number  of  its  pro- 
fessors increased,  the  church  became  gradually  less 
spiritual,  and  more  disposed  to  deck  the  simple  reli- 
gion of  Jesus  with  mysteries  and  superstitious  formal- 
ities ;  and  the  bishops  or  pastors  became  ambitious  of 
their  authority  over  the  churches.  Those  churches, 
even  in  Gentile  cities,  appear  to  have  been  composed, 
at  first,  principally  of  converted  Jews,  who  not  only 
observed  the  weekly  Sabbath,  but  also  the  feast  of  the 
Passover,  adapted  particularly  to  Christian  worship ; 
respecting  which,  there  was  much  contention.  In  the 
mean  time,  converts  were  gi^eatly  multiplied  from 
among  the  GentiJee  and  were  united  with  those  from 
the  Jews,  who,  ■  "thout  reason,  considered  them- 


to 


HISTORY    OF 


selves  entitled  to  some  distinction  as  the  original  found- 
ers of  the  gospel  church,  and  as  being  better  informed 
in  the  writings  of  Moses  and  the  proj^hets,  having  been 
in  the  habit  of  reading  them  every  Sabbath  in  the 
synagogues. 

About  three  years  after  the  martyrdom  of  Peter  and 
Paul,  according  to  the  common  account,  Judea  was 
invaded  by  the  Roman  armies,  and  Jerusalem  was  be- 
sieged and  destroyed,  as  our  Lord  had  predicted.  By 
this  awful  calamity,  it  is  supposed  that  most  of  the 
churches  in  Judea  were  scattered ;  for  they  fled  their 
country  at  the  approach  of  their  enemies,  as  they  were 
taught  by  Jesus  Christ  to  do.  (Matt.  24  :  16.)  This 
war  resulted  not  only  in  the  breaking  up  of  the  nation, 
and  the  desti'uction  of  a  great  portion  of  the  people, 
but  also  in  bringing  a  general  odium  upon  the  Jews 
wherever  they  were  found ;  so  that  even  the  Christ- 
ians of  Judea  suffered  what  our  Saviour  taught  them 
to  expect,  (Matt,  24  :  9,)  "  And  ye  shall  be  hated  of  all 
nations  for  my  name's  sake."  These  circumstances, 
added  to  the  enmity  which  formerly  existed  between 
the  Gentiles  and  the  Jews,  produced  a  prejudice  which 
had  its  influence  in  the  church  in  bringing  into  disre- 
pute, and  in  fixing  a  stigma  upon,  whatever  was  re- 
garded as  Judaism.  "  The  doctrines  of  our  Saviour 
and  the  church,  flourishing  from  day  to  day,  continued 
to  receive  constant  accessions,"  says  Eusebius,  "  but 
the  calamities  of  the  Jews  also  continued  to  grow  with 
one  accumulation  of  evil  upon  another."  The  insur- 
rectionary disposition  of  the  conquered  Jews  in  the 
reign  of  Trajan,  in  the  early  part  of  the  secon<l  cen- 
tury, and  the  calamities  that  followed  them,  seemed  to 
confirm  the  opinion  that  the  Jews  were  given  over  by 
the  Almighty  to  entire  destruction.  But  their  calami- 
ties increased  in  the  reign  of  Adrian,  who  succeeded 
Trajan,  in  whose  reign  the  revolt  of  the  Jews  again 


THE     SABBATH.  11 

proceeded  to  many  and  great  excesses,  and  Rufus, 
the  lieutenant  governor  of  Jiidea,  using  their  madness 
as  a  pretext,  destroyed  myriads  of  men,  women  and 
children,  in  crowds ;  and  by  the  laws  of  war,  he  le- 
duced  their  countiy  to  a  state  of  absolute  subjection, 
and  the  dcgi'aded  race  to  the  condition  of  slaves."  The 
transformation  of  the  church  in  Jerusalem  is  thus  de- 
scribed by  Eusehius  :  "  The  city  of  the  Jews  being 
thus  reduced  to  a  state  of  abandonment  for  them,  and 
totally  stripped  of  its  ancient  inhabitants,  and  also  in- 
habited by  sti'angers ;  the  Roman  city  which  subse 
quently  arose  changing  its  name,  was  called  JElia,  in 
honor  of  the  emperor  ^lias  Adrian  ;  and  when  the 
church  was  collected  there  of  the  Gentiles,  the  first 
bishop  after  those  of  the  circumcision  was  Marcus." 
Thus  was  extinguished  the  Hebrew  church  in  Jerusa- 
lem, having  had  a  succession  of  fifteen  pastors ;  "  all 
which,"  says  Eusehius,  "  they  say,  were  Hebrews  from 
the  first.  At  that  time  the  whole  church  under  them," 
he  adds,  "  consisted  of  faithful  Hebrews,  who  contin 
ued  from  the  time  of  the  Apostles  to  the  siege  that 
then  took  place." 

This  church,  which  heretofore  held  the  first  rank  in 
regard  to  its  influence,  being  now  composed  entirely 
of  Gentiles,  and  stripped  of  its  apostolic  character  and 
influence,  could  no  longer  successfully  oppose  the 
growing  ambition  and  influence  of  the  bishops  of  the 
church  in  the  meti'opofis  of  the  empire. 

Up  to  this  period,  and  for  some  time  after,  there 
does  not  appear  to  have  been  any  change  in  the  senti- 
ments or  practice  of  the  church,  in  any  place,  relative 
to  the  Sabbath ;  but  from  what  is  related  by  subse- 
quent writers,  which  will  be  noticed  in  its  place,  it  is 
certain  that  it  was  observed  by  the  churches  univer- 
sally.    This  fact  is  so  generally  acknowledged  by  those 


1^ 


HISTORY    OF 


acquainted  with  the  history  of  the  matter,  that  we  need 
refer  to  only  a  few  passages  in  proof 

The  learned  Grotius  says,  in  his  Explication  of  the 
Decalogue,  "  Therefore  the  Christians  also,  who  be- 
lieved Christ  would  restore  all  things  to  their  primi- 
tive practice,  as  Tertullian  teacheth  in  Monogamia, 
kept  holy  the  Sabbath,  and  had  their  assemblies  on 
that  day,  in  which  the  law  was  read  to  them,  as  ap- 
pears in  Acts  15  :  21,  which  custom  remained  till  the 
time  of  the  council  of  Laodicea,  about  A.  D.  365, 
who  then  thought  meet  that  the  gospels  also  should  be 
read  on  that  day." 

Edward  Brerewood,  Professor  in  Gresham  College, 
London,  in  a  Treatise  on  the  Sabbath,  1630,  says : 
"  It  is  commonly  believed  that  the  Jewish  Sabbath 
was  changed  into  the  Lord's  day  by  Christian  em- 
perors, and  they  know  little  who  do  not  know,  that  the 
ancient  Sahhath  did  remain  and  was  observed  hy  the 
eastern  churches  three  hundred  years  after  our  Saviour's 
'passion  y 

At  what  time  the  first  day  of  the  week  came  into 
notice  as  a  festival  in  the  church,  it  is  not  easy  to  de- 
termine. The  first  intimation  we  have  of  this,  in  any 
ancient  writer  of  acknowledged  integrity,  is  from  Jus- 
tin Martyr's  Apology  for  the  Christians,  about  A.  D. 
140.  He  is  cited  as  saying,  "  that  the  Christians  in  the 
city  and  in  the  country  assembled  on  the  day  called 
Sunday,  and  after  certain  religious  devotions,  all  re- 
turned home  to  their  labors ;"  and  he  assigns  as  rea- 
sons for  this,  that  God  made  the  world  on  the  first 
day,  and  that  Christ  first  showed  himself  to  his  disci- 
ples on  that  day  after  his  resun-ection.  These  were 
the  best,  and  probably  all  the  reasons  that  could  then 
be  offered  for  the  practice.  He  also  speaks  of  Sun- 
lay  only  as  a  festival,  on  which  they  performed  labor. 


THE    SABBATH.  13 

when  not  engaged  in  devotions,  and  not  as  a  substi- 
tute for  the  Sabbath.  From  this  author  we  can  learn 
nothing  as  to  the  extent  of  the  practice ;  for  though 
he  says  this  was  done  by  those  "  in  the  city  and  in  the 
country,"  he  may  have  intended  only  the  city  of  Rome 
and  its  suburbs,  since  Justin,  although  a  native  of 
Palestine  in  Syria,  is  stated  by  Eusebius  to  have 
made  his  residence  in  Rome.  Nor  can  we  determine 
from  this,  that  he  intended  any  thing  more  than  that 
they  did  thus  on  the  Sunday  in  which  the  church  of 
Rome,  a  short  time  after  this,  is  known  to  have  closed 
the  paschal  feast,  which  was  observed  annually. 

It  is  contended,  however,  that  mention  is  made  of 
keeping  the  first  day  previous  to  Justin.  The  first 
intimation  of  this  kind,  it  is  believed,  is  from  an  apoc- 
ryphal writing,  styled  the  Epistle  of  Barnabas ;  but 
to  this  epistle  it  is  objected,  that  there  is  no  evidence 
of  its  genuineness.  Eusebius,  who  lived  near  the  time 
when  it  was  written,  mentions  it  as  a  spurious  writing, 
entitled  to  no  credit.  Dr.  Milnor  says  it  is  an  injury 
to  St.  Barnabas  to  ascribe  this  epistle  to  him.  Mos- 
heim  says  it  is  the  work  of  some  superstitious  Jew  of 
mean  abilities.  And  we  think  it  has  but  little  to  re- 
commend it  besides  its  antiquity.  Barnabas'  theory 
for  observing  the  first  day,  rests  upon  the  tradition 
that  the  seventh  day  was  typical  of  the  seventh  mil- 
lennium of  the  age  of  the  world,  which  would  be 
purely  a  holy  age,  and  that  the  Sabbath  was  not  to  be 
kept  until  that  time  anived ;  and  he  says,  "  We  keep 
the  eighth  day  with  gladness,  in  which  Jesus  rose 
from  the  dead." 

The  citations  from  Ignatius,  are  as  little  to  the  pur- 
pose. In  the  passage  of  which  most  use  has  been 
made,  he  did  not  say  that  himself  or  any  one  else 
kept  the  Lord's  day,  as  is  often  asserted.  His  own 
words  ai'e,  that  "  the  prophets  who  lived  before  Christ 
2 


%4  HISTORY    OP 

came  to  a  newness  of  hope,  not  by  keeping  Sabbaths, 
but  by  living-  according  to  a  lordly  or  most  excellent 
life."  In  this  passage,  Ignatius  was  speaking  of  alto- 
gether a  different  thing  from  Sabbath-keeping.  There 
is  another  quotation  from  him,  however,  in  which  he 
brings  out  more  clearly  his  view  of  the  relation  exist- 
ing between  the  Sabbath  and  Lord's  day.  It  is  as 
follows :  "  Let  us  not  keep  the  Snbbath  in  a  Jewish 
manner,  in  sloth  and  idleness ;  but  let  us  keep  it  after 
a  spiritual  manner,  not  in  bodily  ease,  but  in  the  study 
of  the  law,  and  in  the  contemplation  of  the  works  of 
God."  "  And  offer  we  have  kept  the  Sabbath,  let 
every  one  that  lovetli  Christ  keep  the  Lord's  day  fcs- 
tivair  From  this  it  seems  that  he  would  have  the 
Sabbath  kept  first,  as  such,  and  in  a  manner  satisfac- 
tory to  the  strictest  Sabbatarian,  after  which  the  Lord's 
day,  not  as  a  Sabbath,  but  as  a  festival.  Indeed,  with 
this  distinction  between  the  Sahhath  and  a  festival 
before  us,  it  is  easy  to  explain  all  those  passages  from 
early  historians  which  refer  to  the  first  day.  We  shall 
find  them  to  be  either  immediately  connected  with  in- 
structions about  such  seasons  as  Good  Fridai/  and 
Holy  Thursday,  or  in  the  writings  of  those  who  have 
recommended  the  observance  of  these  festival  days. 

It  is  also  said  that  Pliny,  Governor  of  Bithynia, 
A.  D.  102,  in  a  letter  to  Trajan,  states  that  the  Chiist- 
ians  met  on  the  first  day  of  the  week  for  worship  ;  but 
by  no  fair  intei-pretation  of  his  words  can  he  be  so 
understood.  He  says,  in  writing  about  those  of  his 
own  province,  "  that  they  were  accustomed  to  assem- 
ble on  a  stated  day^  This  might  be  referred  to  the 
first  day,  if  there  were  credible  testimony  that  this  day 
was  alone  regarded  at  that  time  ;  but  as  there  is  no  evi- 
dence of  this,  and  as  the  Sabbath  is  known  to  have  been 
the  stated  day  of  religious  assembling  a  long  time  after 
this,  it  seems  more  proper  to  reftr  it  to  the  Sabbath. 


THE    SABBATH.  15 

We  will  mention  hut  one  more  of  these  misinter- 
preted citations,  and  this  is  from  Dionysius,  bishop  of 
Corinth,  who  lived  a  little  after  Justin.  His  letter  to 
Soter,  bishop  of  Rome,  is  cited  as  saying,  "  This  day 
we  celebrated  the  holy  Domhiical  day,  in  which  we 
have  read  your  epistle."  As  given  by  Eusebius,  it  is 
thus  :  "  To-day  we  have  passed  the  Lord's  holy  day" 
&c.  The  only  ground  upon  which  this  phrase  can  be 
referred  to  the  first  day,  is,  that  this  day  was  at  that 
time  known  by  the  same  title  that  God  has  given  to 
the  Sabbath,  (see  Isaiah  48  :  13,)  of  which  there  is  no 
proof  Therefore  it  is  not  just  to  cite  this  passage 
as  evidence  of  the  obsei-vance  of  the  first  day  at  that 
time. 

It  is,  indeed,  a  well-known  fact,  that  the  first  day  has 
come  into  very  extensive  use  among  the  gi'eat  body 
of  Christians,  as  the  only  day  of  weekly  rest  and  wor- 
ship. The  origin  of  this  practice  does  not  appear, 
however,  to  be  as  ancient,  by  some  centuries,  as  many 
suppose  ;  nor  was  its  adoption  secured  at  once,  but  by 
slow  and  gradual  advances  it  obtained  general  notice 
in  Christian  countries.  This  is  frankly  admitted  by 
Merer,  an  English  Episcopalian,  in  his  Dialosvcs  on 
the  Lord''s  day,  p.  236.  He  says,  "  In  St.  Jcrnme^s 
time,  (that  is,  in  the  fifth  century,)  Christianity  had  got 
into  the  throne  as  well  as  into  the  empire.  Yet  for  all 
this,  the  entire  sanctification  of  the  Lord's  day  pro- 
ceeded slowly ;  and  that  it  was  the  work  of  time  to 
bring  it  to  perfection,  appears  from  the  several  steps 
the  church  made  in  her  constitution,  and  from  the  de- 
crees of  emperors  and  other  princes,  wherein  the  pro- 
hibitions from  servile  and  civil  business  advanced  by 
degi-ees  from  one  species  to  another,  till  the  day  got  a 
considerable  figure  in  the  world."  The  same  author 
says,  on  the  same  page :  "  If  the  Christians  in  St,  Je- 
rome's time,  after  divine  service  on   the  Lord's   dav. 


16  HISTORY  OF 

followed  their  daily  employments,  it  should  be  remem- 
bered, that  this  was  not  done  till  the  worship  was  quite 
over,  when  they  might  with  innocency  enough  resume 
them,  because  the  length  of  time  and  the  number  of 
hours  assigned  for  piety  were  not  then  so  well  explain- 
ed as  in  after  ages." 

It  is  probable  that  no  other  day  could  have  obtained 
the  same  notice  in  ancient  times  as  the  first  day  of  the 
week  did  ;  for  there  were  circumstances,  aside  from 
the  resurrection,  that  had  an  influence  in  promoting 
its  observance.  It  was  at  first  a  celebration  of  the 
same  character  as  the  fourth  and  sixth  days  of  the 
week,  and  the  annual  festivals  of  saints  and  martyrs. 
These  celebrations  were  comparatively  unobjection- 
able, when  not  permitted  to  interfere  with  a  divine  ap- 
pointment ;  but  when  they  were  made  to  supersede  or 
cause  a  neglect  of  the  Sabbath,  they  were  criminal. 
In  respect  to  these  days  of  weekly  celebration,  Mos- 
heim,  when  remarking  upon  this  early  period,  and  the 
regard  then  paid  to  the  seventh  and  first  days,  says^ 
"  Many  also  observed  the  fourth  day,  in  which  Christ 
was  betrayed,  and  the  sixth  day,  in  which  he  was  cru- 
cified." He  adds,  "  The  time  of  assembling  was  gen- 
erally in  the  evening  after  sunset,  or  in  the  morning 
before  the  dawn." 

TVie  respect  wliich  the  Gentiles  had  for  the  first  day, 
or  Sunday,  while  they  luere  Pagans,  contributed  much 
to  render  its  introduction  easy,  and  its  weekly  celebra- 
tion popular,  among  such  materials  as  composed  the 
body  of  the  church  of  Rome  in  the  second,  third,  and 
fourth  centuries.  The  observance  of  the  first  day  of 
the  week  as  a  festival  of  the  Sun,  was  very  general  in 
those  nations  from  which  the  Gentile  church  received 
her  converts.  That  an  idolatrous  worship  was  paid  to 
the  Sun  and  other  heavenly  bodies  by  the  Gentiles, 


THE    SABBATH.  17 

the  Old  Testament  abundantly  testifies  ;  and  this  kind 
of  adoration  paid  to  the  Sun  in  later  times,  is  as  plainly 
a  matter  of  historical  record.  Thomas  Bampfield,  an 
English  writer  of  the  seventeenth  century,  quoting 
Verstegan's  Antiquities,  p.  68,  says :  "  Our  ancestors 
in  England,  before  the  light  of  the  Gospel  came  among 
them,  went  very  far  in  this  idolatry,  and  dedicated  the 
first  day  of  the  week  to  the  adoration  of  the  idol  of 
the  Sun,  and  gave  it  the  name  of  Sunday.  This  idol 
they  placed  in  a  temple,  and  there  sacrificed  to  it." 
He  further  states,  that  from  his  historical  reading,  he 
finds  that  a  great  part  of  the  world,  and  particularly 
those  parts  of  it  which  have  since  embraced  Christ- 
ianity, did  anciently  adore  the  Sun  upon  Sunday.  It 
is  also  stated  by  Dr.  Chambers,  in  his  Cyclopedia,  that 
"  Sunday  was  so  called  by  our  idolati'ous  ancestors, 
because  set  apart  for  the  worship  of  the  Sun."  The 
Greeks  and  the  Latins  also  gave  the  same  name  to  the 
first  day  of  the  week.  Dr.  Brownlee,  as  quoted  by 
Kingshury,  on  the  Sabbath,  p.  223,  also  says,  "  When 
the  descendants  of  Adam  apostatized  from  the  worship 
of  the  true  God,  they  substituted  in  his  place  the  Sun, 
that  luminary  which,  more  than  all  others,  sti'ikes  the 
minds  of  savage  people  with  religious  awe ;  and  which, 
therefore,  all  heathens  worship."  Attachment  to  par- 
ticular days  of  religious  celebration,  from  habit  merely, 
is  well  known,  even  in  our  own  day,  to  be  very  strong, 
and  powerful  convictions  of  duty  are  often  required 
to  produce  a  change.  This  was  no  doubt  well  under- 
stood by  the  teachers  of  Christianity  in  those  times. 
Dr.  Mosheim,  when  treating  on  that  age,  says,  "  that 
the  leaders  imagined  that  the  nations  would  the  more 
readily  receive  Christianity  when  they  saw  the  rites 
and  ceremonies  to  which  they  had  been  accustomed 
established  in  the  churches,  and  the  same  worship  paid 
to  Jesus  Christ  and  his  martyrs  which   they  had  for- 


18  HISTORY  OF 

merly  offered  to  their  idol  deities.  Hence  it  happen- 
ed, tiiat  in  those  times,  the  religion  of  the  Greeks  and 
Romans  differed  but  little  in  its  external  appearance 
from  that  of  Christians." 

Prejudice  again.st  the  Jews,  was  another  influence 
against  the  Sabbath,  and  in  favor  of  the  first  day.  This 
was  very  strong,  and  directly  calculated  to  lead  the 
Gentile  Christians  to  fix  a  stigma  upon  every  rehgious 
custom  of  the  Jews,  and  to  brand  as  Judaism  what- 
ever they  supposed  had  any  connection  with  the  Mo- 
saic religion.  Hence  it  was  that  in  those  times,  as 
often  occurs  in  our  own,  to  produce  disaffection  and 
disgust  to  the  seventh  day  as  the  Sabbath,  they  spoke 
of  it  and  reproached  its  observance  as  Judaizing,  This 
feeling  in  relation  to  Judaism  led  Athanasius,  bishop 
of  Alexandria,  in  Egypt,  in  the  fourth  century,  who 
with  his  people  then  obsei-ved  the  Sabbath,  to  say,  in 
his  Interpretation  of  the  Psalms,  "  We  assemble  on 
Saturday,  not  that  we  are  infected  with  Judaism,  but 
to  worship  Jesus  the  Lord  of  the  Sabbath."  In  a 
community  of  Christians  whose  religion  was  formal, 
and  whose  celebrations  were  designed  more  to  act 
upon  their  passions  and  senses  than  to  improve  their 
hearts  or  to  conform  them  to  divine  requirements,  a 
more  powerful  argument  could  scarcely  be  used 
against  the  Sabbath  day,  or  one  that  would  more  effect- 
ually promote  the  observance  of  the  first  day,  which 
was  raised  up  as  its  rival.  Dr.  Neander  says  distinctly, 
"  Opposition  to  Judaism  introduced  the  particular  fes- 
tival of  Sunday  very  early." 

The  observance  of  the  Passover^  or  Easter,  by  the 
early  Christians,  aided  the  introduction  of  the  first 
day  as  a  religious  festival  in  the  church,  if  it  was  not 
indeed  the  direct  cause  of  it.  This  feast  was  held  by 
the  Asiatic  Christians,  who  began  it  at  the  same  time 
the  Jews  began  their  Passover,  and  ended  it  in  like 


THE    SABBATH.  19 

manner,  without  regard  to  the  particular  day  of  the 
week.  Tlie  church  of  Rome  does  not  appear  to  have 
observed  it  until  .the  latter  part  of  the  second  century, 
when,  in  the  time  of  Victor,  bishop  of  Rome,  it  seems 
that  it  was  observed  by  the  Roman  and  western 
churches.  Victor  insisted  upon  the  fast  being  closed 
on  the  first  day  of  the  week,  on  whatever  day  it  might 
commence ;  and  he  claimed  the  right,  as  bishop  of 
Rome,  to  control  all  the  churches  in  this  matter. 
"  Hence,"  says  Eusehius,  "  there  were  synods  and 
convocations  of  the  bishops  on  this  question,  and  all 
(i.  e.  the  western  bishops)  unanimously  drew  up  an 
ecclesiastical  decree,  which  they  communicated  to  all 
the  churches  in  all  places,  that  the  mystery  of  our 
Lord's  resurrection  should  be  celebrated  on  no  other 
day  than  the  Lord's  day,  and  that  on  this  day  alone 
we  should  observe  the  close  of  the  paschal  feasts." 
The  bisho23s  of  Asia,  however,  persisted  for  a  consid- 
erable time  in  obsei'ving  the  custom  handed  down  to 
them  by  apostolic  tradition,  until,  either  by  the  threats 
of  excommunication  which  were  made,  or  by  a  desire 
for  peace,  they  were  induced  partially  to  adopt  the 
custom  of  the  western  churches.  This  change  was 
made,  as  we  are  told,  "  partly  in  honor  of  the  day,  and 
partly  to  express  some  difference  between  Jews  and 
Christians."  But  the  question  does  not  appear  to 
have  been  fully  settled ;  for  we  find  Constantine,  in  an 
epistle  to  the  churches,  urging  them  to  uniformity 
in  the  day  of  the  celebration,  wherein,  after  a  strong 
invective  against  the  practice  of  the  Jews,  he  says, 
"  For  we  have  learned  another  way  from  our  Saviour, 
which  we  may  follow.  It  is  indeed  most  absurd  that 
they  should  have  occasion  of  insolent  boasting  on  ac- 
count of  our  not  being  able  to  observe  these  things  in 
any  manner  unless  by  the  aid  of  their  instruction." 
"  Wherefore,  let  us  have  nothino^  in  common  with  that 


so  HISTORY    OF 

most  odious  brood  of  the  Jews."  By  this  contest  an 
important  po-int  was  gained  for  the  first  day,  although 
it  was  but  an  annual  celebration.  The  Sabbath,  how- 
ever, does  not  appear  to  have  been  laid  aside  in  any 
place,  but  continued  to  be  the  j^rincipal  day  of  reli- 
gious worship  throughout  the  whole  Christian  church. 

At  what  time  the  first  day  began  to  be  observed 
weekly,  we  have  no  particular  account ;  but  from  the 
favor  it  received  fi-om  the  bishops  of  Rome,  and  some 
of  the  Christian  fathers,  at  the  close  of  the  third  and 
beginning  of  the  fourth  century,  we  suppose  it  had 
then  become  a  practice  in  Rome  and  some  of  the 
western  churches. 

This  brings  us  to  near  the  close  of  the  third  century. 
And  here  it  ought  to  be  noted,  that  Lcn-d's  day,  or 
Sunday,  was  not  the  only  holy-day  of  the  Church  dur- 
ing these  three  centuries.  Origen  (as  quoted  by  Dr. 
Peter  Heylyn  in  his  History  of  the  Sabbath)  names  the 
Good  Friday  as  we  call  it  now,  the  Parasccve  as  he 
calls  it  there ;  the  feasts  of  Easter  and  of  Pentecost, 
And  anciently,  not  only  the  day  which  is  now  called 
Whitsunday  or  Pentecost,  but  all  the  fifty  days  from 
Easter  forward,  were  accounted  holy,  and  solemnized 
with  no  less  observance  than  the  Sundays  were.  Of 
the  day  of  the  Ascension,  or  Holy  Thursday,  it  may 
likewise  be  said,  that  soon  after,  it  came  to  be  more 
highly  esteemed  of  than  all  the  rest.  Such  was  the 
estimation  in  which  the  Lord's  day  was  held.  It  was 
on  a  level  with  those  other  holy  days  which  are  now 
disregarded  by  the  body  of  the  Protestant  Church.  It 
is  to  be  remembered,  farther,  that  the  term  Sabbath 
was  applied  exclusively  to  the  seventh  day  of  the 
week,  or  Saturday.  Indeed,  wherever,  for  a  thousand 
years  and  upwards,  we  meet  the  word  Sahhatum  in 
any  writer,  of  what  name  soever,  it  must  be  under- 
stood of  no  day  but  Saturday. 


THE     SABBATH.  21 

The  Sabbath  from  the  time  of  Constantiue  to  the  Reformation* 

We  h;ive  seen  how  the  matter  stood  until  the  com- 
mencement of  Constantino's  career.  The  Sabbath 
was  crenerally  observed,  while  the  Lord's  day  was  re- 
garded as  a  festival  of  no  gi'eater  importance  or  au- 
thority than  Good  Friday  or  Holy  Thursday.  No 
text  of  Scripture,  or  edict  of  emperor,  or  decree  of 
council,  could  be  produced  in  its  favor.  But  from  this 
time  forth  may  be  found  emperors  and  councils  com- 
bining to  give  importance  to  the  Lord's  day  and  to 
oppose  the  Sabbath. 

An  important  change  in  the  regard  paid  to  the  first 
day  was  produced  soon  after  the  accession  of  Constan- 
tine,  the  first  Christian  emperor,  in  the  early  part  of 
the  fourth  century.  When  he  became  master  of 
Rome,  he  soon  gave  himself  up  to  the  guidance  of  the 
Christian  clergy.  According  to  Jones'  Church  His- 
tory, "  He  built  places  of  public  worship  ;  he  en- 
couraged the  meeting  of  synods  and  bishops  ;  honored 
them  with  his  presence,  and  employed  himself  contin- 
ually in  aggrandizing  the  church.  He  was  scrupu- 
lously attentive  to  the  religious  rites  and  ceremonies 
which  were  prescribed  to  him  by  the  clergy.  He 
fasted,  observed  the  feasts  in  commemoration  of  the 
martyrs,  and  devoutly  watched  the  whole  night  on  the 
vigils  of  the  saints,"  and  showed  great  anxiety  for  uni- 
formity in  the  doctrines  and  observances  of  religion  in 
the  church.  He  was,  therefore,  exactly  suited  to  the 
wishes  of  the  Roman  bishop  and  clergy,  in  establishing, 
by  his  imperial  authority,  what  they  had  no  Scripture 
to  support,  and  what  their  influence  had  hitherto  been 
insufficient  to  effect,  viz.  a  uniformity  in  the  celebra- 
tion of  Easter  and  the  first  day.  In  321,  Constantine 
first  published  his  edicts  enjoining  upon  his  subjects 
these  superstitious  celebrations. 


HISTORY    OF 


Eusehius,  in  his  Life  of  Constantine,  says  :  "  He 
api^ointed  as  a  suitable  time  hv  prayers  the  Dominical 
day,  which  then  was  an  especial  day,  and  now  is  un- 
doubtedly the  very  first.  His  body  guard  observed 
the  day,  and  offered  on  it  prayers  written  by  the  Em- 
j^eror.  The  happy  prince  endeavored  to  persuade  all 
to  do  this,  and  by  degi'ees  to  lead  all  to  the  worship 
of  God ;  wherefore  he  determined  that  those  obeying 
Roman  power  should  abstain  from  eve^y  work  upon 
the  days  named  after  the  Saviour,  that  they  should 
venerate  also  the  day  before  the  Sabbath,  in  memory, 
as  seems  to  me,  of  the  events  occumng  on  those  days 
to  our  common  Saviour."  He  says  again,  "  An  edict 
also,  by  the  will  and  pleasure  of  the  Emperor,  was 
transmitted  to  the  Prefects  of  the  provinces,  that  they 
thenceforth  should  venerate  the  Domniical  day  ;  that 
they  should  honor  the  days  consecrated  to  the  martyrs, 
and  should  celebrate  the  solemnities  of  the  festivals  in 
the  churches,  all  which  was  done  according  to  the  will 
of  the  Emperor."  And,  as  quoted  by  Lucius,  he  says, 
that  he  admonished  his  subjects  likewise  that  those 
days  which  were  Sabbaths  should  be  honored  or  wor- 
shiped. 

Sozomen,  in  his  Ecclesiastical  History,  b.  1,  c.  8, 
says,  "  He  (Constantine)  also  made  a  law  that  on  the 
Dominical  day,  which  the  Hebrews  call  the  first  day 
of  the  week,  the  Greeks  the  day  of  the  Sun,  and  also 
on  the  day  of  Venils,  (i.  e.  Friday,)  judgments  should 
not  be  given,  or  other  business  ti'ansacled,  but  that  all 
should  worship  God  with  prayer  and  supplications, 
and  venerate  the  Dominical  day,  as  on  it  Christ  rose 
fi'om  the  dead,  and  the  day  of  Venus,  as  the  day  on 
which  he  was  fixed  to  the  cross." 

Dr.  Chambers  says,  "It  was  Constantine  the  Great 
who  first  made  a  law  for  the  observance  of  Sunday, 
and  who,  according   to   Eusebius,    appointed   that   it 


THE    SABBATH.  23 

should  be  regularly  celebrated  throughout  the  Roman 
empire.  Before  him,  and  even  in  his  time,  they  ob- 
serv^ed  the  Jewish  Sabbath  as  well  as  Sunday,  both 
to  satisfy  the  law  of  Moses,  and  to  imitate  the  Apostles, 
who  used  to  meet  together  on  the  first  day."  He  adds, 
"  Indeed,  some  are  of  opinion  that  the  Lord's  day 
mentioned  in  the  Apocalypse  is  our  Sunday,  which 
they  will  have  to  have  been  so  early  instituted."  "By 
Constantine's  laws,  made  in  321,  it  was  decreed  that 
for  the  future  the  Sunday  should  be  kept  a  day  of  rest 
in  all  cities  and  towns ;  but  he  allowed  the  country 
people  to  follow  their  work.  In  538,  the  Council  of 
Orleans  prohibited  this  country  labor. 

To  give  the  more  solemnity  to  the  first  day  of  the 
week,  (as  we  learn  from  Lucius'  Ecclesiastical  His- 
tory,) Sylvester,  who  was  bishop  of  Rome  while  Con- 
stantino was  Emperor,  changed  the  name  of  Sunday, 
giving  it  the  more  imposing  title  of  Lord^s  day. 

It  cannot  be  doubted,  that  the  laws  of  Constantine 
did  much  to  make  the  first  day  conspicuous  throughout 
the  empire,  as  all  public  business  was  forbidden  upon 
it.  They  changed  its  character  from  a  special  day,  in 
which,  as  a  weekly  festival,  all  kinds  of  business  and 
labor  were  performed  in  city  and  countiy,  to  be,  as 
Evsehius  says,  the  very  first.  This  imperial  favor  for 
the  first  day  operated  against  all  who  conscientiously 
regarded  the  Sabbath  from  respect  to  the  fourth  com- 
mandment, in  obedience  to  which  the  seventh  day  had 
always  been  observed ;  and  if  it  had  produced  a  gen- 
eral abandonment  of  its  observance,  it  would  not  have 
been  very  surprising,  considering  the  influence  of 
court  example,  and  the  general  ignorance  and  dark- 
ness of  the  age.  This,  however,  does  not  appear  to 
have  been  the  case.  The  Sabbath  was  still  extensively 
observed ;  and  to  counteract  it  the  Council  of  Laodi- 
cea,  about  A.  D.  350,  passed  a  decree  saying,  "  It  is 


24  HISTORY  OF 

not  proper  for  Christians  to  Judaize,  and  to  cease  fi'oro 
labor  on  the  Sabbath,  but  they  ought  to  work  on  that 
day,  and  put  especial  honor  upon  the  Lord's  day,  as 
Christians.  If  any  be  found  Judaizing,  let  him  be 
anathematized." 

But  this  did  not  produce  any  material  change,  for 
Socrates,  a  writer  of  the  fifth  century,  who  resided  at 
Constantinople,  makes  the  following  remarks  upon  the 
ce»lebration  of  the  Sabbath  at  the  time  he  wrote,  A.  D, 
440.  He  says,  *'  There  are  various  customs  concern- 
ing assembling ;  for  though  all  the  churches  through- 
out the  whole  world  celebrate  the  sacred  mysteries  on 
the  Sabbath  day,  yet  the  Alexandrians  and  the  Ro- 
mans, from  an  ancient  tradition,  reftise  to  do  this ;  but 
the  Egyptians  who  are  in  the  neighborhood  of  Alex- 
andiia,  and  those  inhabiting  Thebais,  indeed  have  as- 
semblies on  the  Sabbath,  but  do  not  participate  in  the 
mysteries,  as  is  the  custom  of  the  Christians.  At  Cae  • 
sarea,  Cappadocia,  and  in  Cyprus,  on  the  Sabbath  and 
Dominical  day,  at  twilight,  with  lighted  lamps,  the 
presbyters  and  bishops  interpret  the  Scriptures.  At 
Rome  they  fast  every  Sabbath." 

This  account  of  the  manner  of  celebrating  the  Sab- 
bath in  the  fifth  century,  is  con'oborated  by  SozomeUy 
in  his  Ecclesiastical  History,  b.  7,  c.  9.  He  says,  "At 
Constantinople,  and  almost  among  all,  the  Christians 
assembled  upon  the  Sabbath,  and  also  upon  the  first 
day  of  the  week,  excepting  at  Rome  and  Alexandria  ; 
the  ecclesiastical  assemblies  at  Rome  were  not  upon 
the  Sabbath,  as  in  almost  all  other  churches  of  the  rest 
of  the  world  ;  and  in  many  cities  and  villages  in  Egypt, 
they  used  to  commune  in  the  evening  of  the  Sabbath, 
on  which  day  there  were  public  assemblies." 

In  regard  to  fasting  on  the  Sabbath  at  Rome,  re- 
ferred to  by  Socrates,  it  ought  to  be  said,  that  fi-om 
the  earhest  times  to  the  fourth  century,  the  practice 


THE    SA1M5ATH.  25 

had  been  to  observe  the  Sabbath  as  a  holiday.  But 
the  Church  of  Rome,  hi  its  opposition  to  the  Jews, 
made  it  a  fast  day,  that  the  separation  might  be  mark- 
ed and  strong.  In  the  eastern  churches  they  never 
fasted  upon  the  Sabbath,  excepting  one  Sabbath  in  the 
year,  which  was  the  day  before  the  Passover.  But  in 
the  western  churches  they  celebrated  a  fast  every 
week.  It  was  in  reference  to  this  that  Ambrose  said, 
"  When  I  come  to  Rome,  I  fast  upon  the  Sabbath  ; 
when  I  am  here,  I  do  not  fast."  Augustine  also  said 
concerning  this,  "  If  they  say  it  is  sinful  to  fast  on  the 
Sabbath,  then  they  would  condemn  the  Roman  Church, 
and  many  places  near  to  and  far  from  it.  And  if  they 
should  think  it  a  sin  not  to  fast  on  the  Sabbath,  then 
they  woukl  blame  many  eastern  churches,  and  the  far 
greater  part  of  the  world."  This  Sabbath  fasting  was 
opposed  by  the  eastern  church ;  and  in  the  sixth  gen- 
eral council,  held  at  Constantinople,  it  was  commanded 
that  the  Sabbath  and  Dominical  days  be  kept  as  festivals, 
and  that  no  one  fast  or  mourn  upon  them.  The  prac- 
tice of  fasting,  therefore,  was  chiefly  in  the  western 
churches,  about  Rome. 

It  is  perhaps  difficult  to  determine  exactly  the  rela- 
tive importance  attached  to  the  seventh  and  first  days 
of  the  week  at  this  time.  Sufficient  may  be  found, 
however,  to  assure  us,  that  the  Sabbath  was  observed, 
and  that  no  one  regarded  Sunday  as  having  taken  its 
place.  This  is  shown  by  the  provision  of  the  Council 
of  Laodicea,  A.  D.  365,  that  the  Gospels  should  be 
read  on  that  day.  It  is  shown  by  the  action  of  a 
Council  in  517,  (mentioned  in  Robinson's  History  of 
Baptism,)  which  regulated  and  enforced  the  observ- 
ance of  the  Sabbath.  It  is  shown  by  the  expostula- 
tion of  Gregory  of  Nyssa,  "  How  can  you  look  upon 
the  Lord's  day,  if  you  neglect  the  Sabbath  1  Do  you 
not  know  that  they  are  sisters,  and  that  in  despising 
3 


^ 


llfSTORY  O] 


the  one  you  afiront  the  other  f '  And  as  sisters  we 
find  them  hand  in  hand  in  the  ecclesiastical  canons. 
Penalties  were  inflicted  by  the  councils  both  of  Lao- 
dicea  and  Trullo,  on  clergymen  wlio  did  not  observe 
both  days  as  festivals. 

How  the  first  day  of  the  week,  or  Lord's  day,  was 
observed  in  the  early  part  of  the  fifth  century,  we  may 
learn  from  the  words  of  St.  Jerojue.  In  a  funeral  ora- 
tion for  the  Lady  Paula,  ho  says  :  "  She,  with  all  her 
virgins  and  widows  who  lived  at  Bethlehem  in  a  clois- 
ter with  her,  upon  the  Lord's  day,  repaired  duly  to 
the  church,  or  house  of  God,  which  was  nigh  to  her 
cell ;  and  after  her  return  from  thence  to  her  own 
lodgings,  she  herself  and  all  her  company  fell  to  work^ 
and  they  all  performed  their  task,  which  was  the 
making  of  clothes  and  garments  for  themselves  and  for 
others,  a:^  they  were  appointed." 

St.  Chrysostom,  patriarch  of  Constantinople,  "re- 
commended to  his  audience,  after  impressing  upon 
themselves  and  their  families  what  they  had  heard  on 
the  Lord's  day,  to  return  to  their  daily  employments 
and  trades." 

Dr.  Francis  White,  Lord  Bishop  of  Ely,  speaking 
of  this  matter,  says,  "  The  Catholic  Church,  for  more 
than  six  hundred  years  after  Christ,  permitted  labor, 
and  gave  license  to  many  Christian  people  to  work 
upon  the  Lord's  day,  at  such  hours  as  they  were  not 
commanded  to  be  present  at  the  public  service  by  the 
precepts  of  the  church." 

In  the  sixth  century  efforts  were  made  to  prevent 
this  labor.  The  following  promulgation  of  a  synod 
held  by  command  of  King  Junthran,  of  Burgundy, 
will  show  the  condition  of  things,  and  the  means  used 
to  improve  it :  "  We  see  the  Christian  people,  in  an 
unadvised  manner,  deliver  to  contempt  the  Dominical 
day,  and,  as  in  other  days,  indulge  on  continual  labor." 


THE    SARBATII.  27 

Therefore  they  determined  to  teach  the  people  subject 
to  them  to  keep  the  Dominical  day,  which,  if  not  ob- 
served by  the  lawyer,  he  should  irreparably  lose  his 
cause,  and  if  a  countryman  or  servant  did  .not  keep  it, 
he  should  be  beaten  with  heavier  blows  of  cudgels. 
The  council  of  Orleans,  held  538,  prohibited  the  coun- 
ti'y  labor  on  Sunday  which  Constantine  by  his  laws 
permitted.  According  to  Chambers,  this  council  also 
declared,  "  that  to  hold  it  unlawful  to  travel  with 
horses,  cattle,  and  carriages,  to  prepare  food,  or  to  do 
any  thing  necessary  to  the  cleanliness  and  decency  of 
houses  or  persons,  savors  more  of  Judaism  than  Christ- 
ianity." According  to  Lucius,  in  another  council  held 
in  Narbonne,  in  France,  in  the  seventh  century,  they 
also  forbid  this  country  work. 

Early  in  the  seventh  century,  in  the  time  of  Pope 
Gregory  I.,  the  subject  of  the  Sabbath  attracted  con- 
siderable attention.  There  was  one  class  of  persons 
who  declared,  "  that  it  was  not  lawful  to  do  any  man- 
ner of  work  upon  the  Saturday,  or  the  old  Sabbath ; 
another,  that  no  man  ought  to  bathe  himself  on  the 
Lord's  day,  or  their  new  Sabbath."  Against  both  of 
these  doctrines  Pope  Gregory  wrote  a  letter  to  the 
Roman  citizens.  Baronius,  in  his  Councils,  says, 
**  This  year  (603)  at  Rome,  St.  Gregory,  the  Pope, 
corrected  that  error  which  some  preached,  by  Jewish 
superstition,  or  the  Grecian  custom,  that  it  was  a  duty 
to  worship  on  the  Sabbath,  as  likewise  upon  the  Do- 
minical day  ;'*  and  he  calls  such  preachers  the  preach- 
ers of  Antichrist. 

Nearly  the  same  doctrine  was  preached  again  in  the 
time  of  Gregory  VII.,  A.  D.  1074,  about  five  hundred 
years  after  what  we  are  now  speaking  of  This  is  suf- 
ficient to  show  that  the  Sabbath  was  kept  until  those 
times  of  decline  which  introduced  so  many  eiTors  in 
faith  and  practice.     Indeed,  it  is  sufl^cient  to  show,  that 


28  HISTORY    OF 

wherever  the  subject  has  been  under  discussion,  the 
Sabbath  has  found  its  advocates,  both  in  theory  and  in 
'practice. 

According  to  Lucius,  Pope  Urban  II.,  in  the  elev- 
enth century,  dedicated  the  Sabbath  to  the  Virgin 
Mary,  with  a  mass.  Binius  says,  "  Pope  Innocent  I. 
constituted  a  fast  on  the  Sabbath  day,  which  seems  to 
be  the  first  constitution  of  that  fast ;  but  dedicating  the 
Sabbath  to  the  Virgin  Mary  was  by  Urban  II.,  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  eleventh  century."  About  this  time 
we  find  Esychius  teaching  the  doctrine  that  the  pre- 
cept for  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath  is  not  one  of 
the  commandments,  because  it  is  not  at  all  times  to  be 
observed  according  to  the  letter ;  and  Thomas  Aquinas, 
another  Romish  ecclesiastic,  saying,  "  that  it  seems  to 
be  inconvenient  that  the  precept  for  observing  the  Sab- 
bath should  be  put  among  the  precepts  of  the  Deca- 
logue, if  it  do  not  at  all  belong  to  it ;  that  the  precept, 
*  Thou  shalt  not  make  a  graven  image,^  and  the  pre- 
cept for  observing  the  Sabbath,  are  ceremonial." 

The  observance  of  the  first  day  was  not  so  early  in 
England  and  in  Scotland  as  in  most  other  parts  of  the 
^  '^man  Empire.  According  to  Heylyn,  there  were 
Jhristian  societies  established  in  Scotland  as  early  as 
A.  D.  435  ;  and  it  is  supposed  that  the  gospel  was 
preached  in  England  in  the  first  century  by  St.  Paul. 
For  many  ages  after  Christianity  was  received  in  those 
kingdoms,  they  paid  no  respect  to  the  first  day.  Binius, 
a  Catholic  writer,  in  the  second  volume  of  his  works, 
gives  some  account  of  the  bringing  into  use  of  the  Do- 
minical day  [Sunday]  in  Scotland,  as  late  as  A.  D. 
1203.  "  This  year,"  he  says,  "  a  council  was  held  in 
Scotland  concerning  the  introduction  of  the  Lord's  day, 
which  council  was  held  in  1203,  in  the  time  of  Pope 
Innocent  III.''  and  he  quotes  as  his  authority  Roger 


THE    SABBATH.  29 

Hoveden,  Matth.  Paris,  and  Lucius'  Eccl.  Hist.  He 
says,  **  By  this  council  it  was  enacted  that  it  should  be 
holy  time  from  the  twelfth  hour  on  Saturday  noon  until 
Monday." 

Boethus  (de  Scottis,  p.  344)  says,  "  In  1203, 
Will?a??i,  king  of  Scotland,  called  a  council  of  the 
principal  of  his  kingdom,  by  which  it  was  decreed,  that 
Saturday,  from  the  twelfth  hour  at  noon,  should  be 
holy,  that  they  should  do  no  profane  work,  and  this 
tliey  should  observe  until  Monday." 

Binius  says  that  in  1201  Eustacliius,  Abbot  of 
Flay,  came  to  England,  and  therein  preached  fi'om 
city  to  city,  and  from  place  to  place.  He  prohibited 
using  markets  on  Dominical  days  ;  and  for  this  he  pro- 
fessed to  have  a  special  command  from  heaven.  The 
history  of  this  singular  document,  entitled,  A  Jwly 
Command  of  the  Dominical  Day,  the  pious  Abbot 
stated  to  be  this  :  "  It  came  from  Heaven  to  Jerusa- 
lem, and  was  found  on  St.  Simeon's  tomb  in  Golgotha, 
And  the  Lord  commanded  this  epistle,  which  for  three 
days  and  three  nights  men  looked  upon,  and  falling  to 
the  earth,  prayed  for  God's  mercy.  And  after  the 
thu'd  hour,  the  patriarch  stood  up  ;  and  Akarias  the 
archbishop  sti^etched  out  his  mitre,  and  they  took  the 
holy  epistle  of  God  and  found  it  thus  written." 

[We  give  some  extracts  from  this  epistle,  partly  as  a  matter  of  curiosity, 
and  partly  to  show  the  credulity  of  our  ancestors,  and  the  means  by  which 
they  were  awed  into  what  was  to  them  a  new  religious  observance.] 

"  I.  the  I/Ord,  who  commanded  you  that  ye  should  observe  the  Dominical 
day,  and  ye  have  not  kept  it,  and  ye  have  not  repented  of  your  sins,  as  I 
said  by  my  gospel,  heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away,  but  my  word  shall 
not  pass  away;  I  have  caused  repentance  unto  life  to  be  preached  unto  you, 
and  ye  have  not  believed  ;  I  sent  pagans  against  you,  who  shed  your  blood, 
yet  ye  believed  not ;  and  because  ye  kept  not  the  Dominical  day,  for  a  few 
days  ye  had  famine  ;  but  I  soon  gave  you  plenty,  and  afterwnrds  ye  did 
worse  ;  I  will  again,  that  none  from  the^inth  hour  of  the  Sabbath  until  the 
rising  of  the  sun  on  Monday,  do  work  any  thing  unless  what  is  good,  which 
If  any  do,  let  him  amend  by  repentance ;  and  if  ye  be  not  obedient  to  this 
command,  amen,  I  say  unto  you,  and  I  swear  unto  you  by  my  seat,  and 
throne,  and  chei-ubim,  who  keep  my  holy  seat,  because  I  will  not  change 
any  thing  by  another  epistle  ;  but  I  will  open  the  heavens,  and  for  rain  I 
will  rain  upon  you  stones,  and  logs  of  wood,  and  hot  water  by  night,  and 


3Q  HISTORY    OP 

none  may  be  able  to  prevent,  but  that  I  may  destroy  all  wicked  men.  Thifl 
I  say  unto  you,  ye  shall  die  the  death,  because  of  the  Dominical  holy  day 
,and  other  festivals  of  my  saints  which  ye  have  not  kept.  1  will  send  unto 
you  beasts  having  the  heads  of  lions,  the  hair  of  women,  and  tails  of  camels; 
and  they  shall  be  so  hunger-.?tarved  that  they  shall  devour  your  llt^sh,  and 
ye  shall  desire  to  flee  to  the  sei)ulchrcs  of  the  dead,  and  hide  you  for  fear  of 
the  beasts  ;  and  I  will  take  away  the  litiht  of  the  sun  from  your  eyes  ;  and 
I  will  send  upon  you  darknt^ss,  that  without  seeinir  ye  may  kill  one  another; 
and  I  will  take  away  my  face  from  you,  and  will  not  show  you  mercy  ;  for 
I  wi.'l  burn  the  bodies  and  hearts  of  all  who  keep  not  the  Dominical  holy 
day.  Hear  my  voice,  lest  ye  perish  in  the  land  because  of  the  Dominical 
holy  day.  Now  know  ye,  that  ye  are  safe  by  the  prayers  of  my  most  holy 
mother  Mary,  and  of  my  holy  angels  who  daily  pray  for  you.  1  gave  you 
the  law  from  Mount  Sinai,  which  yr,  have  not  kept.  For  you  I  was  born 
into  the  world,  and  my  festivals  ye  have  not  known;  the  Dominical  day  of 
my  resurrection  ye  have  not  kept ;  I  swear  to  you  by  my  right  hand,  unless 
ye  keep  the  Dominical  day  and  the  festivals  of  ray  saints,  I  will  send  pagans 
to  kill  you." 

Provided  with  this  new  command  from  heaven, 
"  Eustachius  preached  in  various  parts  of  England 
against  the  desecration  of  the  Dominical  day,  and 
other  festivals ;  and  gave  the  people  absolution  upon 
condition  that  they  hereafter  reverence  the  Dominical 
day,  and  the  festivals  of  the  saints."  And  the  people 
vowed  to  God,  that  thereafter  they  would  neither  buy 
nor  sell  any  thing  but  food  on  Sunday. 

"  Then,"  says  Binius,  "  the  enemy  of  man,  envying 
the  admonitions  of  this  holy  man,  put  it  into  the  heart 
of  the  king  and  nobility  of  England,  to  command  that 
all  who  should  keep  the  aforesaid  traditions,  and  chiefly 
all  who  had  cast  down  the  markets  for  things  vendible 
upon  the  Dominical  day,  should  be  brought  to  the 
king's  court  to  make  satisfaction  about  observing  the 
Dominical  day." 

Binius  relates  many  miraculous  things  that  occurred 
on  the  Sabbath  to  those  that  labored  after  the  ninth 
hour  (i.  e.  after  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon)  of  the 
seventh  day,  or  Saturday.  He  says,  that  upon  a  cer- 
tain Sabbath,  after  the  ninth  hour,  a  carpenter,  for 
making  a  wooden  pin,  was  struck  with  the  palsy ;  and 
a  woman,  for  knitting  on  the  Sabbath,  after  the  ninth 
hour,  was  also  struck  with  the  palsy.     A  man  baked 


THE    SABBATH.  Ji 

bread,  and  when  he  broke  it  to  eat,  blood  came  out. 
Another,  gi-indins^  corn,  blood  came  in  a  great  stream 
instead  of  meal,  while  the  wheel  of  his  mill  stood  still 
against  a  vehement  impulse  of  water.  Heated  ovens 
refused  to  bake  bread,  if  heated  after  the  ninth  hour 
of  the  Sabbath  ;  and  dough,  left  unbaked  out  of  re- 
spect to  Eustachius'  new  doctrine,  was  found  on  Mon- 
day morning  well  baked  without  the  aid  of  fire.  These 
fables  were  industriously  propagated  throughout  the 
kingdom ;  "  yet  the  people,"  says  Binius,  "  fearing 
kingly  and  human  power  more  than  divine,  returned 
as  a  dog  to  his  own  vomit,  to  keep  markets  of  saleable 
things  upon  the  Dominical  day." 

Mr.  Bampjield,  in  his  Enquiry,  p.  3,  says,  "  The  king 
and  princes  of  England,  in  1203,  would  not  agi'ee  to 
change  the  Sabbath,  and  keep  the  first  day,  by  this 
authority.  This  was  in  the  time  of  King  John,  against 
whom  the  popish  clergy  had  a  gi'eat  pique  for  not  hon- 
oring their  prelacy  and  the  monks,  by  one  of  whom 
he  was  finally  poisoned." 

Binius  (Councils,  cent.  13)  states  that  King  John  of 
England,  in  1208,  in  the  tenth  year  of  his  reign,  for 
not  submitting  to  popish  impositions  upon  his  prerog- 
atives, was  excommunicated  by  the  Pope,  and  his  king- 
dom interdicted,  which  occasioned  so  much  trouble  at 
home  and  abroad,  that  it  forced  him  at  last  to  lay  down 
his  crown  at  the  feet  of  INIandulphus,  the  Pope's 
agent.  After  he  was  thus  humbled  by  that  excommu- 
nication and  interdiction,  the  king,  in  the  fifteenth  year 
cf  his  reign,  by  writ,  removed  the  market  of  the  city 
of  Exon  from  Sunday,  on  which  it  was  held,  to  Mon- 
day. The  market  of  Lanceston  was  removed  from 
the  first  to  the  fifth  day  of  the  week.  In  the  second 
and  third  years  of  Henry  III.  many  other  markets 
were  removed  from  the  first  to  other  days  of  the  week, 
which  the  King  at  first  would  not  permit.     He  also 


38  HISTORY  OP 

issued  a  writ  which  permitted  the  removal  of  markets 
from  the  first  day  to  other  days  without  special  license. 

The  Parliament  of  England  met  on  Sundays  until 
the  time  of  Richard  11. ,  who  adjourned  it  from  that  to 
the  following  day. 

In  1203,  according  to  Bocthus,  **  a  council  was  held 
in  Scotland  to  inaugurate  the  king,  and  concerning 
the  feast  of  the  Sabbath  ;  and  there  came  also  a  legate 
from  the  Pope,  with  a  sword  and  purple  hat,  and  indul- 
gences and  privileges  to  the  young  king.  It  was  also 
there  decreed,  that  Saturday,  from  the  twelfth  hour  at 
noon,  should  be  holy."  The  Magdehurgenses  say  that 
this  Council  was  about  the  observance  of  the  Domin- 
ical day  newly  brought  in,  and  that  they  ordained  that 
it  should  be  holy  from  the  twelfth  hour  of  Saturday 
even  till  Monday. 

Binius  says,  "  A  synod  was  held  in  Oxford,  A.  D. 
1223,  by  Stephen,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  where 
they  determined  that  the  Dominical  day  be  kept  with 
all  veneration,  and  a  fast  upon  the  Sabbath." 

According  to  Bampfield,  the  first  law  of  England 
made  for  the  keeping  of  Sunday,  was  in  the  time  of 
Edward  VI.,  about  1470.  "  Parliament  then  passed 
an  act,  by  which  Sunday  and  many  holy  days,  the  feasts 
of  all  Saints  and  of  holy  Innocents,  were  established  as 
festivals  by  law.  This  provided  also,  that  it  should  be 
lawful  for  husbandmen,  laborers,  fishermen,  and  all 
others  in  harvest,  or  at  any  other  time  of  the  year  when 
necessity  should  require,  to  labor,  ride,  fish,  or  do  any 
other  kind  of  work,  at  their  own  free  will  and  pleas- 
ure, upon  any  of  the  said  days." 

By  such  means  as  these,  the  observance  of  the  first 
day  was  gradually  forced  upon  the  people  wherever 
they  owned  allegiance  to  the  Pope  as  head  of  the 
church,  and  the  Sabbath  was  as  gradually  brought  into 
contempt  and  disuse. 


THE    SABBATH.  33 

The  process  by  which  the  change  was  effected  ap- 
pears to  be  this  :  By  first  obtaining  an  annual  celebra- 
tion of  the  first  clay  at  the  close  of  the  Passover,  in 
honor  of  the  resurrection  ;  then  a  partial  obsci"vance 
of  tlie  day  weekly,  it  being  generally  so  observed 
amouii;'  the  heathen ;  then  obtaining  for  it  the  support 
of  civil  laws,  ecclesiastical  canons  and  penalties,  and 
by  giving  it  the  title  of  Lord's  day ;  then  by  requiring 
the  consecration  of  the  entire  day.  To  abate  and  ul- 
timately eradicate  all  respect  for  the  Sabbath,  it  was 
first  turned  into  a  fast ;  then  it  was  dedicated  to  the 
Virgin  Mary,  resting  upon  it  was  stigmatized  as  Juda- 
ism and  heresy,  and  the  preaching  of  it  was  ca/led 
Antichrist ;  and  finally  the  fourth  commandment  was 
pronounced  ceremonial,  and  was  effectually  abstracted 
from  the  Decalogue.  And  thus,  so  far  as  the  Roman 
church  was  concerned,  the  point  was  gained  ;  and  thus, 
probably,  she  performed  her  part  in  the  fulfillment  of 
the  prophecy  of  Daniel,  (7  :  25,)  "  He  shall  think  to 
change  times  and  laws  ;  and  they  shall  be  given  into 
his  hand  until  a  time  and  times  and  the  dividing  of 
time." 

The  cause  of  the  Sabbath  must  also  have  been  seri- 
ously affected  by  the  rise  of  the  Ottoman  Empire  in  the 
seventh  century,  and  the  success  of  the  Mahometans  in 
conquering  the  eastern  division  of  the  church.  Ma- 
homet formed  the  plan  of  establishing  a  new  religion, 
or,  as  he  expressed  it,  of  replanting  the  only  true  and 
ancient  one  professed  by  Adam,  Noah,  Abraham,  Mo- 
ses, Jesus,  and  the  prophets ;  by  destroying  idolatry, 
and  weeding  out  the  corruptions  which  the  later  Jews 
and  Christians  had,  as  he  supposed,  introduced.  He 
was  equally  opposed  to  both  Jews  and  Christians.  To 
distinguish  his  disciples  from  each,  he  selected  as  their 
day  of  weekly  celebration  the  sixth  day,  or  Friday. 
And  thus,  as  a  writer  of  the  seven' o>--'rji  century  re- 


34  HISTORY    OP 

marks,  "  they  and  the  Romanists  crucified  the  Sab* 
bath,  as  the  Jews  and  the  Romans  did  the  Lord  of 
the  Sabbath,  between  two  thieves,  the  sixth  and  the 
first  day  of  the  week." 

We  have  thus  traced  the  history  of  the  Sabbath  in 
the  Roman  church  down  to  the  thirteenth  century ;  and 
we  see  that  through  the  whole  of  this  period,  the  sev- 
enth day  every  where  retaiiied  the  honor  of  being 
called  the  Sabbath,  and  that  no  other  day  had  ever 
borne  that  title ;  that  not  until  the  remarkable  let- 
ter found  on  St.  Simeon's  tomb,  had  it  been  asserted 
by  any  one,  that  the  observance  of  the  Jirst  day,  Lord's 
day,  or  Sunday,  was  enjoined  by  the  authority  of  Je- 
sus or  his  apostles,  nor  was  any  example  of  theirs  plead 
in  its  favor.  Even  then  it  was  not  pretended  that  the 
Scriptures  required  its  observance. 

There  are  some  traces  of  the  Sabbath  among  those 
Christians  who  separated  from  the  Catholic  commun- 
ion, or  were  never  embraced  in  it.  The  Greek  church 
separated  from  them  about  the  middle  of  the  eleventh 
century,  and  had  a  larger  extent  of  empire  than  the 
papists.  According  to  Brerewood's  Enquiries,  p.  128, 
this  church  solemnized  Saturday  festivals,  and  forbade 
as  unlawful  to  fast  on  any  Saturday  except  in  Lent, 
retaining  the  custom  followed  before  their  separation. 
The  same  author  states  that  the  Syrian  Christians,  who 
composed  a  numerous  body  in  the  East,  celebrated 
divine  worship  solemnly  on  both  the  Sabbath  and  first 
day,  continuing  the  custom  of  the  Roman  church  at 
the  time  they  separated  from  that  community.  Sandy* s 
Travels,  p.  173,  speak  of  a  Christian  empire  in  Ethi- 
opia that  celebrate  both  Saturday  and  Sunday,  "  that 
they  have  divers  errors  and  many  ancient  truths."  The 
Abyssinian  Christians,  another  numerous  body,  are 
represented  as  being  similar  in  some  respects  to  the 


THE    SAKHATIJ.  35 

Papists  ;  and  Purchase  speaks  of  tlicm  as  "  subject  to 
Peter  and  Paul,  and  especially  to  Christ,"  and  as  ob- 
serving^ the  Saturday  Sabbath.  They  are  also  men- 
tioned by  Brereivood.  Moshcim  mentions  a  sect  of 
Christians  in  the  twelfth  century,  in  Lombardy,  called 
Pasaginians,  charged  with  circumcising  their  follow- 
ers, and  keeping  the  Jewish  Sabbath.  Mr.  Btmcdict 
considers  the  account  of  their  practicing  the  bloody 
rite  a  slander  charged  on  them  on  account  of  their 
keeping  the  Jewish  Sabbath.  Binius  says  that  in  1555 
there  were  Christians  in  Rome  who  kept  the  Sabbath, 
and  were  therefore  called  Sahbatarii,  and  they  are 
represented  as  differing  in  other  respects  from  the  Ro- 
manists. Many  of  the  Armenian  Christians  are  be- 
lieved to  observe  the  ancient  Sabbath.  Dr.  Buchanan, 
in  his  Researches,  when  speaking  of  those  of  them 
who  are  settled  in  the  East  Indies,  says,  "  Their  doc- 
trines are,  as  far  as  the  author  knows,  the  doctrines  of 
the  Bible.  Besides  this,  they  maintain  the  solemn  ob- 
servation of  Christian  worship  throughout  our  empire 
on  the  seventh  day." 

Probably  there  has  not  existed  a  class  of  Christians 
since  the  times  of  the  Apostles,  who  could  more  justly 
claim  to  be  Ajiostolic  than  the  Waldenses,  formerly  a 
numerous  people  living  in  the  valleys  of  Piedmont ; 
whither  they  retired,  says  Bumside,  on  the  promulga- 
tion of  Constantino's  laws  for  the  observance  of  the 
first  day,  in  the  fourth  century ;  and  where  they  re- 
mained, according  to  Scaliger  and  Brerewood,  in  the 
time  of  Elizabeth  of  England,  in  the  latter  part  of 
the  sixteenth  century.  They  adhered  firmly  to  the  apos- 
tolic faith,  and  suffered  severe  persecutions  from  the 
Catholics.  Robinson,  in  his  History  of  Baptism,  says, 
"  They  were  called  Sabbati  and  Sabbatati,  so  named 
fi'om  the  Hebrew  word  Sabbath,  because  they  kept 
the  Saturday  for  the  Lord's  day."     They  were  also 


36  HISTORY    OF 

called  Insahhatati,  because  they  rejected  all  the  festi* 
vals,  or  Sabbaths,  m  the  low  Latin  sense  of  the  word. 
The  account  the  Papists  gave  of  their  sentiments  in 
1250,  was  briefly  this  :  That  they  declared  themselves 
to  be  the  apostolic  successors,  and  to  have  apostolic 
authority ;  that  they  held  the  church  of  Rome  to  be 
the  *  whore  of  Babylon ;'  that  none  of  the  ordinances 
of  the  church  which  have  been  introduced  since  Christ's 
ascension  ought  to  be  observed  ;  that  baptism  is  of  no 
advantage  to  infants,  because  they  cannot  actually  be- 
lieve. They  reject  the  sacrament  of  confirmation,  but 
instead  of  that  their  teachers  lay  their  hands  upon  their 
disciples.  Jones,  in  his  Church  History,  says  that  be- 
cause they  would  not  observe  saints^  days,  they  were 
falsely  supposed  to  neglect  the  Sabbath  also.  Another 
of  their  enemies,  an  Inquisitor  of  Rome,  charged  them 
with  despising  all  the  feasts  of  Christ  and  his  saints. 
Another,  a  Commissioner  of  Charles  XII.  of  France, 
reported  to  him,  "  that  he  found  among  them  none  of 
the  ceremonies,  images,  or  signs  of  the  Romish  church, 
much  less  the  crimes  with  which  they  were  charged ; 
on  the  contrary,  they  kept  the  Sabbath  day,  observed 
the  ordinance  of  baptism  according  to  the  primitive 
church,  and  instructed  their  children  in  the  articles  of 
the  Christian  faith  and  commandments  of  God." 

The  Sabbath  since  the  Reformation. 

With  the  commencement  of  the  Reformation,  a  new 
spirit  of  religious  inquiry  was  awakened.  Nearly 
every  item  of  Christian  practice  was  brought  under 
review,  and  not  dismissed  until  either  approved  or 
rejected.  Among  the  subjects  for  discussion  we 
find  the  Sabbath  early  introduced  and  thoroughly  ex- 
amined. There  were  three  leading  views  then  main  • 
tained  by  different  classes  of  Reformers,  which  deserve 
particular  notice. 


THE     SABBATH,  37 

1.  One  class  of  Reformers  there  was,  who,  dwelling 
alone  on  the  sufficiency  of  faith,  and  the  fieeness  of 
the  Gospel,  trembled  at  the  thought  of  imposing  rules 
upon  men,  and  seemed  to  fear  the  term  laiv.  These 
declared,  that  the  law  of  the  Sabbath  was  abolished ; 
that  Sunday  was  no  Sabbath,  only  a  festival  of  the 
church,  which  had  been  appointed  and  might  be  alter- 
ed at  her  pleasure.  That  we  may  not  be  thought  in 
en'or  here,  as  well  as  to  give  a  full  understanding  of 
the  opinions  of  that  time,  we  will  present  the  asser- 
tions of  some  of  these  men. 

Bishop  Cranmer's  Catechism,  A.  D.  1548,  says : 
"  The  Jews  were  commanded  in  the  Old  Testament 
to  keep  the  Sabbath-day,  and  they  observed  it  every 
seventh  day,  called  the  Sabbath,  or  Saturday ;  but  we 
Christian  men  are  not  bound  to  such  commandments 
in  Moses'  law,  and  therefore  we  now  keep  no  more 
the  Sabbath,  or  Saturday,  as  the  Jews  did,  but  we  ob- 
serve the  Sunday,  and  some  other  days,  as  the  magis- 
trates do  jud^e  convenient'^ 

William  Tlndal  says,  in  his  answer  to  More,  chap. 
25  :  "  We  be  lords  over  the  Sabbath,  and  may  change 
it  into  Monday,  or  any  other  day,  as  we  see  need ;  or 
may  make  every  tenth  day  holy-day,  only  if  we  see 
cause  why ;  we  may  make  two  every  week,  if  it  were 
expedient,  and  one  not  enough  to  teach  the  people. 
Neither  was  there  any  cause  to  change  it  from  the 
Saturday,  other  than  to  fut  a  difference  between  us  and 
the  Jew^,  and  lest  we  should  become  servants  to  the  day 
after  their  superstition." 

BuUinger,  on  Rev.  1 :  10,  says  :  "  Christian  churches 
entertained  the  Lord's  day,  not  upon  any  command- 
ment from  God,  but  according  to  their  free  choice." 

Melancthon  says  :  "  The  Lord's  day,  from  the  Apos- 
tles' age,  hath  been  a  solemn  day ;  notwithstanding, 
we  find  not  the  same  commanded  by  any  apostolic 
3 


38  irSTOUV    OP 

law ;  but  it  is  cf)llcctod  from  hence  that  the  observ- 
ance thereof  was  free,  because  Epiphanius  and  St. 
Auo^ustine  testify  tliat  on  the  fourth  and  the  sixth  days 
of  the  week  church  assemblies  wei-e  held,  as  well  as 
upon  the  Lord's  day." 

The  Augustan  Confession,  drawn  up  by  Melancthon, 
and  apjiroved  by  Luther,  says  :  "  We  teach  that  tra- 
ditions are  not  to  be  condemned  which  have  a  religious 
end,  ....  namely,  traditions  concerning  holy-days, 
the  Lord's  day,  the  feast  of  the  nativity,  easter,  &c." 

These  passages  distinctly  do  away  with  the  Sabbath, 
and  place  the  observance  of  the  Lord's  day  on  the  ground 
of  human  authority.  In  the  books  of  some  early  au- 
thors who  adopted  these  views,  may  be  found  frequent 
references  to  a  difficulty  which  drove  them  to  deny  the 
perpetuity  of  the  Sabbath.  Bishop  White,  in  1635, 
says  :  "  If  the  fourth  coiiimandment,  concerning  the 
keeping  of  the  seventh  day,  is  moral  and  perpetual, 
then  it  is  not  such  in  respect  to  the  first  and  eighth 
day  ;  for  this  precept  requireth  the  observance  of  that 
one  day  only  which  it  specifieth  in  that  commandment." 
In  speaking  of  the  Lord's  day,  he  says  :  "  Every  day 
of  the  week  and  of  the  year  is  the  Lord's ;  and  the 
Sunday  is  no  more  the  Lord's  by  the  law  of  the  fourth 
commandment,  than  the  Friday,  for  the  Lord's  day 
of  that  fourth  commandment  is  the  Saturday." 

From  each  of  these  quotations,  it  appears  to  have 
been  felt  lo  be  inconsistent  to  admit  the  perpetuity  of 
the  Sabbath,  without  keeping  the  seventh  day.  But 
to  come  back  to  this  ancient  day,  and  keep  it  in  com- 
pany with  Jews,  seemed  too  great  a  change.  Hence 
the  abrogation  of  the  institution  was  asserted,  as  the 
easiest  way  of  escnping  fi-om  the  dilemma.  John 
Milton,  speaking  of  this  difficulty,  says  :  "  If  we  under 
the  Gospel  are  to  regulate  the  time  of  our  public  wor- 
ship by  the  prescriptions  of  the  Decalogue,  it  will 


THE    SABBATH.  39 

surely  be  far  safer  to  observe  the  seventh  day,  accord- 
ing to  the  express  command  of  God,  than,  on  the  au- 
thority of  mere  human  conjecture,  to  adopt  the  fir  sty 

Another  mfluence  which  led  to  the  rejection  of  the 
Salibath  by  these  men,  was  the  view  of  it  which  was 
held  by  the  Romish  Church.  When  the  leaders  of  the 
Reformation  separated  from  that  church,  it  was  claim- 
ed that  all  her  festival  days,  including  Sundays,  were 
holier  than  other  days,  not  only  in  relation  to  the  use 
made  of  them,  but  to  a  natural  and  inherent  holiness 
wherewith  they  thought  them  to  oe  mvested.  In  ad- 
dition to  this,  many  and  hurtful  restraints  had  been  im- 
posed upon  the  consciences  of  God's  people,  until 
these  were  days  o?  punishment,  rather  than  of  holy  pleas- 
ure and  profit.  Seeing  these  days  pervert(;jd  from  their 
real  design,  and  made  the  means  of  strengthening 
papal  power,  it  is  not  surprising  that  they  were  dis- 
carded together.  Anxious  to  escape  one  error,  they 
fell  into  another  equally  dangerous. 

2.  But  another  class  of  Reformers,  (probably  some- 
what fearful  of  the  consequences  of  those  lax  notions 
to  which  we  have  just  referred,)  considering  that  the 
Sabbath  was  given  in  Paradise,  rehearsed  at  Sinai,  and 
placed  among  the  precepts  of  the  Decalogue,  declared 
that  it  must  be  moral  in  its  nature,  and  perpetually 
binding.  But  having  admitted  its  perpetuity,  and  hav- 
ing rested  its  claims  upon  the  fourth  commandment, 
the  way  of  explaining  and  enforcing  the  change  of  the 
day  presented  an  obstacle  to  the  spread  of  this  view. 
How  this  was  treated,  let  their  own  words  answer. 
Dr.  Bound,  in  1595,  says,  "  The  fourth  commandment 
is  simply  and  perpetually  moral,  and  not  ceremonial 
in  whole  or  in  part."  Richard  By  field,  1630,  says, 
"  The  fourth  commandment  is  part  f)f  the  law  of  na- 
ture, and  thus  part  of  the  image  of  God,  and  is  no 
more  capable  of  a  ceremony  to  be  in  it  than  God  is." 


40  HISTORY    OP 

Afterwards  he  says,  "  The  institution  of  the  Lord's 
day  is  clearly  in  the  work  of  Christ's  resurrection,  as 
the  institution  of  the  seventh  day  was  in  the  work  of 
finishing  the  creation."  "  The  resurrection  applieth 
and  determineth  the  Sabbath  of  the  fourth  command- 
ment to  the  Lord's  day."  Such  was  the  course  of 
reasoning  adopted  by  this  class  of  persons.  Having 
established  the  morality  and  perpetuity  of  the  Sabbath 
by  means  of  Scripture,  and  brought  the  sanctions  of 
the  Word  of  God  to  sustain  them,  they  apply  all  this 
to  the  support  of  an  institution,  the  existence  and  time 
of  keeping  which  is  inferred  from  Christ's  resurrec- 
tion. It  is  easy  to  see  what  must  have  been  the  con- 
sequence. 

3.  There  was  another  class  among  the  disputants 
about  tHfe  Sabbath,  who  endeavored,  by  strict  ad- 
herence to  the  Scriptures,  to  escape  the  difficulties 
and  inconsistencies  into  which  others  had  been  le-d. 
They  contended  for  the  early  institution  of  the  Sab- 
bath, for  its  morality  and  peii^etuity  as  inferred  from 
its  being  placed  in  the  Decalogue,  and  for  the  seventh 
day  of  the  week  as  an  essential  and  necessary  part  of 
the  commandment.  Theophilus  Brabourne,  in  1628, 
says :  "1.  The  fourth  commandment  of  the  Deca- 
logue is  a  divine  precept,  simply  and  entirely  moral, 
containing  nothing  legally  ceremonial,  in  whole  or  in 
part,  and  therefore  the  weekly  observation  thereof 
ought  to  be  perpetual,  and  to  continue  in  full  force  and 
virtue  to  the  world's  end.  2.  The  Saturday,  or  sev- 
enth day  of  the  week,  ought  to  be  an  everlasting  holy- 
day  in  the  Christian  church,  and  the  religious  obsei'- 
vation  of  this  day  obligeth  Christians  under  the  Gos- 
pel, as  it  did  the  Jews  before  the  coming  of  Christ. 
3.  The  Sunday,  or  Lord's  day,  is  an  ordinary  work- 
ing day ;  and  it  is  superstition  and  will-worship  to 
make  the  same  the  Sabbath  of  the  fourth  command- 


THE    SAr.KATH.  41 

merit."  These  opinions  were  vindicated  by  Bra- 
bourne  in  two  volumes  which  appeared,  one  in  1628, 
and  the  other  in  1632.  They  have  never  been  answered 
to  the  satisfaction  of  many  candid  mind.  It  is  true, 
an  answer  has  been  attempted.  But  this  answer, 
laborino;'  as  it  did  mainly  to  prove  tliat  such  doctrine 
"  is  repugnant  to  the  public  sentence  of  the  Church 
of  England,  and  to  the  sentence  of  divines  who  lived 
at  the  beginning  of  the  Reformation,"  could  not  satisfy 
one  who  believed  the  Scriptures  to  be  a  sufficie7it  rule 
of  faith  and  practice.  To  these  volumes  might  be 
added  others,  which  appeared  soon  after,  and  to  the 
results  of  which,  living  witnesses  have  testified  from 
that  day  to  this. 

It  was  while  the  discussion  just  referred  to  was  yet 
in  progress,  that  King  James,  in  1618,  published  his 
Book  of  Sports  for  Sunday,  in  which  is  set  forth,  that 
*'  by  the  preciseness  of  some  magistrates  and  ministers 
in  several  places  in  this  kingdom,  in  hindering  people 
from  their  recreations  on  the  Sunday,  the  papists  in 
this  realm  being  thereby  persuaded  that  no  honest 
mirth  or  recreation  was  tolerable  in  our  religion," 
wherefore,  it  pleased  his  majesty  to  set  out  his  declara- 
tion, "  that  for  his  good  people's  lawful  recreation,  his 
pleasure  was,  that  after  the  end  of  divine  service, 
they  should  not  be  disturbed,  letted,  or  discouraged, 
from  any  lawful  recreation,  such  as  dancing,  either 
men  or  women,  archery  for  men,  leaping,  vaulting,  or 
any  other  such  harmless  recreations ;  noi'  from  having 
of  May-games,  Whitsun-ales,  or  Morrice- dances,  and 
setting  up  of  May-poles,  or  other  sports  therewith 
used;  so  as  the  same  be  had  in  due  and  convenient 
time,  without  impediment  or  let  of  divine  service." 
This  book  was  designed  to  counteract  what  was  then 
called  the  Puritan  notion,  and  maybe  regarded  as  ex- 
pressing the  opinion  of  the   English  Church  at  that 


42  HISTORY    OF 

time  in  regard  to  the  sacredness  of  the  day.  It  waa 
re-published  in  1636,  by  Charles,  with  how  much  real 
effect  upon  the  practices  of  his  subjects  it  is  not  easy 
to  determine. 

It  is  evident  that  a  reilction  in  favor  of  the  sabbatic 
institution  had  already  commenced ;  and  the  earnest- 
ness of  Puritanism  on  this  subject,  joined  to  the  influ- 
ence of  Sabbatarianism,  affected  almost  the  whole  body 
of  the  English  Church.  To  Puritanism  and  Sabba- 
tarianism belong  the  credit  of  having  preserved  to 
that  country  a  regard  for  the  day  of  rest,  which  raises 
it  indefinitely  above  many  other  Protestant  coun- 
tries. Had  Scriptural  ground  been  taken,  who  can 
estimate  the  results  which  ^vould  have  followed  1 

In  G-ermany,  according  to  Ross'  "  Picture  of  all 
Religions,"  observers  of  the  seventh-day  as  the  Sab- 
bath were  common  in  the  sixteenth  century,  their 
numbers  being  such  as  to  lead  to  organization,  and  at- 
ti'act  attention.  A  number  of  these  formed  a  church, 
and  emigrated  to  America  in  the  early  settlement  of 
the  country.  There  were  Sabbath-keepers  in  Tran- 
sylvania, about  the  same  time,  among  whom  was  Fran- 
cis Davidis,  first  chaplain  to  the  Court  of  Sigismund, 
the  prince  of  that  kingdom,  and  afterwards  superin- 
tendent of  all  the  Transylvanian  churches.  In  France, 
also,  there  were  Christians  of  this  class,  among  whom 
was  M.  de  la  Roque,  who  wrote  in  defense  of  the 
Sabbath,  against  Bossuet,  the  Catholic  Bishop  of 
Meaux.  But  it  is  difficult  to  determine  to  what  extent 
this  day  was  observed  in  those  countries. 

In  England  we  fintl  Sabbath-keepers  very  early. 
Dr.  Chambers  says,  **  They  arose  in  England  in  the 
sixteenth  century ;"  fi'om  which  we  understand  that 
they  then  became  a  distinct  denomination  in  that  king- 
dom.    They  increased  considerably  in  the  seventeenth 


THE    SAnnATH.  43 

century ;  and  we  find  that  towards  the  close  of  that 
century  tliere  were  eleven  flourishing  churches  in 
different  parts  of  that  country.  Among  those  who 
held  this  view  were  some  men  of  distinction.  The- 
ophilus  Brabourne  was  called  before  the  Court  of  High 
Connnission,  in  1G32,  for  having  written  and  published 
books  vindicating  the  claims  of  the  seventh  day.  One 
Traske  was  about  the  same  time  examined  in  the  St  arr 
Chamber,  where  a  long  discussion  on  the  subject 
seems  to  have  been  held.  Nearly  thirty  years  after 
this,  John  James,  preacher  to  a  Sabbath-keeping  con- 
gregation in  the  east  of  London,  was  executed  in  a 
bai'barous  manner,  upon  a  variety  of  charges,  among 
which  was  his  keeping  of  the  Sabbath.  Twenty  years 
later  still,  Francis  Bampfield  died  in  Newgate,  a  mar- 
tyr to  non-conformity — especially  as  one  who  could 
not  conform  in  the  matter  of  the  Sabbath.  It  is  need 
less  to  mention  more  names,  or  to  speak  particularly 
of  Edward,  Joseph,  Dr.  Joseph,  and  Dr.  Samuel  Sten 
nett,  John  Maulden,  Robert  Cornthwaite,  and  others, 
who  have  written  and  suffered  in  proof  of  their  attach 
ment  to  this  truth. 

But  the  Sabbath  met  with  great  opposition  in  England 
being  assailed,  both  fi-om  the  pulpit  and  the  press,  by 
those  who  were  attached  to  the  established  church. 
Many  men  of  learning  and  talent  engaged  in  the  dis- 
cussion, on  both  sides  of  the  question.  It  is  evident  that 
the  opposers  of  reform  felt  the  difficulty  of  defending 
themselves  against  the  strength  of  talent  and  scripture 
brought  to  bear  in  favor  of  the  seventh  day.  The 
civil  powers  attempted  to  check  the  progress  of  all 
Dissenters  by  means  of  the  famous  Conventicle  Act.  By 
that  law,  passed  in  1664,  it  was  provided,  that  if  any 
person,  above  sixteen  years  of  age,  was  present  at  any 
meeting  of  worship  different  from  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, where  there  were  five  persons  more   than  the 


44  HISTORY  OP 

household,  for  the  first  offense  he  should  be  imprisoned 
three  months,  or  pay  five  pounds  ;  for  the  second,  the 
penalty  was  doubled ;  and  for  the  third  he  should  be 
banished  to  America,  or  pay  one  hundred  pounds  ster- 
ling. This  act  was  renewed  in  1669,  and,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  former  penalties,  made  the  person  preaching 
liable  to  pay  a  fine  of  twenty  pounds  ;  and  the  same 
penalty  was  imposed  upon  any  person  suffering  a  meet- 
ing to  be  held  in  his  house.  Justices  of  the  Peace 
were  empowered  to  enter  such  houses,  and  seize  such 
persons ;  and  they  were  fined  one  hundred  pounds  if 
they  neglected  doing  so.  These  acts  were  exceedingly 
harrassing  to  those  who  observed  the  Sabbath.  Many 
of  their  distinguished  ministers  were  taken  from  their 
flocks  and  confined  in  prison,  some  of  whom  sunk  un- 
der their  sufferings.  These  persecutions  not  only 
prevented  those  who  kept  the  Sabbath  fi-om  assem- 
bling, but  deterred  some  who  embraced  their  opinions 
from  uniting  with  them,  and  discouraged  others  from 
investigating  the  subject.  At  present  the  Sabbath  is 
not  as  extensively  observed  in  England  as  formerly. 
But  the  extent  of  Sabbath-keeping  cannot  be  deter- 
mined by  the  number  and  magnitude  of  the  churches, 
either  there  or  in  other  countries.  For  many  persons 
live  in  the  observance  of  the  seventh  day  and  remain 
members  of  churches  which  assemble  on  the  first  day ; 
and  a  still  greater  number  acknowledge  its  coiTectness, 
who  conform  to  the  more  popular  custom  of  keeping 
the  first  day. 

At  what  time  the  Sabbath  became  the  subject  of 
attention  in  America,  we  cannot  definitely  say.  The 
intolerance  of  the  first  settlers  of  New  England  was 
unfavorable  to  the  Sabbath.  The  poor  Christian  who 
may  have  been  banished  to  this  country  for  its  observ- 
ance could  find  no  refuge  among  the  Pilgrim  Fathers. 
The  laws  of  Rhode  Island  were  more  tolerant  than 


THE    SABBATH.  i5 

those  of  somo  other  States,  and  observers  of  the  Sab- 
bath first  made  their  appearance  at  Newport  in  1671. 
The  cause  of  the  Sabbath  has  gradually  gained  ground 
in  this  country  from  that  period ;  but  it  has  found 
much  to  oppose  its  progress,  even  in  Rhode  Island. 
It  was  in  opposition  to  the  general  practice  of  Christ- 
ians, on  which  account  an  odium  was  put  upon  it,  and 
those  who  have  kept  the  Sabbath  have  been  reproach- 
ed with  Judaizing,  and  classed  with  Jews.  Besides 
this,  they  have  ever  been  subjected  to  great  inconven- 
ience in  their  occupations,  especially  in  cities  and 
towns. 

At  no  time  does  there  appear  to  have  been  in  this 
country  any  general  excitement  on  the  subject.  The 
observers  of  Sunday  have  avoided  as  far  as  possible 
its  discussion  ;  so  that  those  who  have  observed  the 
Sabbath  have  had  but  little  encouragement,  as  they 
have  supposed,  to  try  to  extend  their  sentiments.  But 
the  propagation  of  their  opinions  has  not  depended 
exclusively  on  their  efforts.  The  common  English 
version  of  the  Bible  has  been  found  in  many  instances 
a  sufficient  means  of  converting  men  to  the  truth. 
Churches  observing  the  Sabbath  have  been  formed  in 
Rhode  Island,  Connecticut,  New  York,  New  Jersey, 
Pennsylvania,  Virginia,  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  and 
in  most  of  the  Western  States,  embracing,  as  is  sup- 
posed, a  population  of  forty  or  fifty  thousand. 

Conclusion. 

From  the  foregoing  historical  sketch,  it  appears  that 
through  the  apostolic  age,  and  for  a  long  time  after, 
the  Sabbath  was  religiously  observed  by  tlie  church 
of  Christ ;  and  that  not  until  the  latter  part  of  the 
second  century  was  the  first  day  introduced  to  reli- 
gious notice  as  a  festival  of  the  resuirection ;  and  tlien, 


46  HISTORY  OP 

probably,  as  an  annual  celebration  at  the  close  of  the 
Passover  only.  It  also  appears,  that  it  was  a  work  of 
some  hundreds  of  years  to  establish  the  weekly  cele- 
bration of  this  day,  oven  in  the  Romish  church ;  and 
that  this  was  not  done  without  the  aid  of  ecclesiastical 
and  civil  laws  and  penalties — the  same  instrumentali- 
ties used  to  bi'ing  the  Sabbath  into  disrepute  in  the 
popular  branches  of  the  church.  Thus  it  appears  that 
the  Romish  clergy,  and  the  princes  under  their  con- 
trol, have  been  the  principal  actors  in  bringing  about 
the  change  from  the  Sabbath  to  the  first  day  of  the 
week. 

For  a  long  time  before  the  Reformation  the  popular 
branches  of  the  Christian  church  were  literally  with- 
out a  Sabbath.  Until  after  that  period,  it  is  not  known 
that  a  single  passage  of  Scripture  was  ever  cited  as 
authority  for  the  celebration  of  the  first  day,  even  as 
a  festival ;  the  notion  that  the  apostles  observed  it  as  a 
memorial  of  the  resurrection,  being  of  comparatively 
modern  origin.  When,  however,  the  Reformers  threw 
off  the  yoke  of  the  Romish  church,  and  protested 
against  her  corruptions,  some  of  them  could  no  longer 
be  satisfied  to  let  the  observance  of  the  first  day  rest 
upon  her  authority.  They  saw  that  they  must  either 
give  it  up  as  a  human  invention,  or  find  some  Scrip- 
ture to  support  it.  Hence  the  numerous  theories 
which  have  been  invented  to  justify  its  observance — 
theories  which  necessarily  conflict  with  each  other,  as 
well  as  with  Scripture,  and  are  altogether  unsatisfac- 
tory to  inquiring  minds. 

The  history  of  this  matter  shows  us,  that  neither 
the  adoption  of  the  first  day,  nor  the  abandonment  of 
the  seventh,  took  place  until  the  corruptions  of  the 
Catholic  church  in  other  res})ccts  had  become  so  nu- 
merous and  flagrant,  as  to  drive  fi'om  her  communion 


THE    SAHHATH.  47 

many  of  her  most  conscientious  and  apostolic  mem- 
bers, who  still  retained  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath. 
The  case  of  those  sects  in  diflcrent  ages  of  the  church 
who  have  kept  the  Sabbath  in  connection  with  the  first 
day,  and  practiced  other  thing8  peculiar  to  the  Romish 
church,  furnishes  additional  evidence  that  the  observ- 
ance of  the  first  day  was  adopted  while  the  Sabbath 
was  retained,  and  consequently  that  the  first  day  was 
not  adopted  as  a  substitute  for  tl.e  Sabbath,  which  it 
ultimately  displaced.  The  permitting  of  labor  on  the 
first  day  in  the  earlier  ages  of  the  church,  and  the 
canons  of  Councils  and  Synods  and  the  edicts  of 
Princes  to  bring  about  a  general  conformity  in  this 
respect,  together  with  the  slow  progress  made,  even 
in  Catholic  countries,  evince  in  the  strongest  manner 
that  it  was  viewed  in  no  other  light,  even  by  its  warm- 
est advocates,  than  that  of  a  human  institution,  and 
one  that  could  be  enforced  by  human  authority  only.' 
As  such  it  wa§  looked  upon  by  enlightened  and  con- 
scientious Christians  in  every  age,  who  would  not 
make  void  a  commandment  of  God  through  a  tradi- 
tion of  men. 

In  the  light  of  these  facts,  we  are  led  to  the  conclu- 
sion of  Dr.  Neander,  set  forth  in  his  Church  History, 
that  "  the  festival  of  Sunday  was  always  only  a  human 
ordinance,  and  it  was  far  from  the  intention  of  the 
Apostles  to  establish  a  divine  command  in  this  respect, 
far  from  them,  and  fi'om  the  early  apostolic  church,  to 
ti-ansfer  the  laws  of  the  Sabbath  to  Sunday."  As  a 
^^  human  ordinance,^''  the  observance  of  Sunday  has 
long  been  and  is  now  considered  by  many.  While 
they  consider  it  in  this  light,  it  is  not  to  be  expected 
that  they  will  render  it  that  sacred  regard  which  the 
Sabbath  claims,  and  must  have  in  order  to  our  safety 
and  its    usefuhiess. 


48  HISTORY    OF    THE    SABBATH. 

What,  then,  shall  be  done  ?  Shall  we  allow  an  in- 
stitution of  so  much  importance  to  rest  upon  mere 
human  authority  1  To  such  a  proposition  every  friend 
of  the  institution  ought  to  say,  No.  To  set  it  adrift, 
or  to  attempt  to  enforce  it  upon  such  authority,  would 
be  to  withdraw  from  it  the  high  sanction  which  it  once 
had,  and  expose  it  to  certain  contempt  and  neglect. 
There  is  but  one  course  dictated  by  wisdom  and  pru- 
dence. If  we  would  save  the  Sabbath  from  threat- 
ened destruction,  we  must  come  back  to  the  law  as  it 
was  originally  given,  place  the  institution  under  the 
care  of  the  Lawgiver,  and  enforce  its  claims  by  his 
authority.  We  must  join  the  commandment,  "  Re- 
member the  Sabbath  day  to  keep  it  holy,"  with  the 
explanation  of  it,  "  The  seventh  day  is  the  Sabbath 
of  the  Lord  thy  God,"  and  united  they  shall  stand. 
Let  this  be  done,  and  we  need  not  fear.  The  Lord 
of  the  Sabbath  is  pledged  for  its  safety ;  and  he  will 
cause  those  who  "  call  the  Sabbath  a  delight,  holy  of 
the  Lord,  honorable,"  to  rejoice  in  Him,  and  ride 
upon  the  high  places  of  the  earth. 


No.  5. 


A  CHRISTIAN  CAVEAT 


OLD  AND  NEW  SABBATARIANS. 


BY   EDWARD    FISHER,   ESQ. 


The  following  article  is  taken  from  the  fifth  edition  of  a  work  with  the  abort 
title,  printed  in  London,  1653.  The  book  was  written  in  defence  of  the 
'  orthodoxal  doctrine  of  the  Church  of  England,"  respecting  festivals,  against 
the  "  Sabbatarian  novelties,"  as  they  were  called,  of  the  Puritans.  While  it 
demolishes  the  cbiiins  set  up  on  behalf  of  Sunday  or  Lord's  Day,  it  fully  estab- 
lishes the  claims  of  the  Sabbath  or  Seventh  Day.  And  it  is  worthy  of  note  here, 
that  it  is  not  possible  to  refute  any  of  the  erroneous  views  in  regard  to  the 
Sabbath  and  Lord's  Day,  without  taking  positions  which  necessarily  lead  to  the 
observation  of  the  Seventh  Day.  How  much  easier  it  would  be  to  fasten  the 
claims  of  the  Sabbatic  institution  upon  the  consciences  of  men,  if  we  were 
aatisfied  to  take  the  fourth  commandment  as  it  reads,  and  enforce  it  by  "  TVtu* 
taith  the  Lord." 

•'  The  third  opinion  is,  of  the  new  Sabbatarians,  who 
dream  of  a  middle  way  betwixt  a  Jew  and  a  Christian  ;  and 
this  they  usually  lay  down  in  two  propositions.  The  first  is, 
That  the  Lord's  Day,  or  first  day  of  the  week,  namely 
Sunday,  may  he  called  the  Sabbath:  the  next  is.  That  the 
ohserraiion  of  the  Lord^s  Day  is  a  moral  didy,  enjoined  by 
God  himself  and  declared  both  by  the  doctrine  and  fractice 
of  Christ  and  his  apostles.  The  first  appearance  of  this  kind 
of  teachers  was  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1595,  near  the  end 
of  the  reign  of  dueen  Elizabeth :  and  because  they  are 
neither  able  to  produce  direct  Scripture,  nor  solid  reason  for 
what  they  say,  they  labor  to  support  their  conceits  by 
fallacies,  falsities  and  wrestings  of  God's  holy  word,  as 
upon  scanning  their  proofs  will  be  manifest  to  the  meaneit 
capacity. 


2 

"For  their  first  proposition,  they  alledge  two  reasf/ns  why 
.he  Lord's  Day  may  be  called  the  Sabbath.  One  ie  becauaa 
the  Sabbath  signifies  a  rest;  and  therefore  the  Lord's  Day 
being  a  rest,  may  be  called  the  Sabbatli.  But  to  this  we 
answer,  it  is  false  that  the  Sabbath  signifies  arej' ;  for  when 
by  custom  of  speech  a  common  name  is  restrained  to  a  par 
ticular  place,  thing,  or  person,  it  then  becomes  a  proper 
name,  and  so  losing  its  community,  does  signify  that  only 
particular,  unto  which  by  custom  of  speech  it  is  applied  ;  as 
for  instance,  the  temple  is  a  common  name,  signifying  the 
Church  ;  yet  in  London,  where  by  custom  of  speech  this 
name.  The  Temple,  is  restrained  to  an  Inns  of  Court,  it  is 
false  and  absurd  to  say  you  were  at  the  Temple,  and  mean 
the  Church  of  St.  Giles.  In  like  manner  the  Sabbath  is  a 
common  name,  signifying  the  rest;  yet  in  the  Christian 
Church,  where  by  custom  of  speech,  according  to  God's 
holy  phrase  throughout  the  Old  and  New  Testament,  thif 
name,  the  Sabbath,  is  restrained  to  the  Jewish  weekly  festi- 
val, it  is  false  and  absurd  to  speak  of  if/ie  Sabbath,  and  mean 
the  Lorcfs  Day.  Their  other  reason  why  the  Lord's  Day 
may  be  called  the  Sabbath,  is,  because  the  Lord's  Day  suc- 
ceeded in  the  room  of  the  Sabbath,  But  if  this  argument 
oe  good,  then  may  baptism  be  called  circumcision,  the  Lord's 
Supper  the  Passover,  and  King  James  Glueen  Elizabeth. 

'*  As  for  the  second  proposition,  wherein  they  assert  the 
morality  and  divine  institutiori  of  the  Lords  Day,  we  shall 
here  notice  only  three  of  their  reasons.  The  first  is,  because 
Adam,  according  to  God's  command,  kept  the  Sabbath  in 

the  state  of  innocency But  what  is  the  sanctification 

of  the  Sabbath  spoken  of  by  Moses  in  the  second  chapter  of 
Genesis,  to  our  observing  the  Lord's  Day?  That  was  ap- 
pointed to  be  kept  on  the  seventh  and  last  day  of  the  week-, 
this  is  kept  on  the  first  dcy  of  the  week :  that  was  the  day  in 
which  God  rested  from  his  work  of  creation  ;  this  is  the  day 
in  which  God  began  to  create  the  heavens  and  the  earth : 
that  was  our  Saturday;  this  is  our  Sunday.  Their  second 
proof  |8r  the  morality  of  the  Lord's  Day,  is  from  the  fourth 
commandment,  where  they  seek  to  corrupt  the  very  text,  and 
would  persuade  us  that  for  the  seventh  day,  we  must  read  a 
seventh  day  ;  as  if  God  did  not  there  set  apart  a  certain  day 
of  the  week,  but  left  it  to  man  to  keep  which  of  the  seven  he 
pleased.  Unto  which  we  answer,  that  this  conceit  is  not 
only  against  the  letter  of  all  our  translations,  but  evei  re- 
pugnant to  the  sense  of  tlie  commandment;  for  the  words 


nre  exprcBS  thrtt  God  blessed  and  hallowed  the  Saobath 
day;  that  Sabbath  day  was  the  sevenlh  day ;  thai  seventh 
day  was  the  day  in  which  God  rested  from  his  sLv  days' 
work  of  creation.  Nay,  grant  it  were  true  (as  these  men 
would  have)  that  this  special  precept  does  exactly  oblige  us, 
and  that  no  particular  day  of  the  seven  v/as  by  God  appoint- 
ed to  be  kept  holy,  then  niay  wc  set  apart  Monday,  or  Tues- 
day, or  any  other  day  to  God's  service,  as  well  as  Sunday; 
and  so,  by  tlieir  own  ai'gument,  llie  Lord's  Day  is  nc  more 
moral  than  any  other  day  of  the  wee'k.  Their  third  prool'is 
from  the  title  or  name,  Lord?s  Day,  which  (say  they)  cannot 
be  for  any  other  reason,  but  because  it  is  of  the  Lord's  insti- 
tution. We  answer,  this  is  false ;  for  the  Lord's  Day  was 
not  so  called  because  it  was  institided  by  the  Lord^  but  be 
cause  it  was  dedicated  to  the  Lord;  as  we  commonly  say, 
Saint  Mary's  Church,  or  Saint  Peter's  Church ;  which  no 
man  did  ever  imagine  were  built  or  founded  by  Saint  Mary 
or  Saint  Peter." 

Near  the  close  o*'his  book,  after  having  examined  each  of  the  positions  here 
referred  to,  he  comes  directly  to  his  design,  and  says  : — 

"  In  vain,  therefore,  it  is,  and  most  absurd,  for  you  our 
opponents  to  charge  us  with  befooling  and  misleading  the 
people.  Your  own  practice,  your  own  doctrines,  shall  bear 
witness  betwixt  us. 

"  You  who  say  one  while,  that  God  did  not  appoint  the 
seventh  day,  the  day  on  which  he  rested,  to  be  kept  holy, 
but  a  seventh  day,  and  so  one  day  in  seven  be  observed,  no 
matter  which  of  them  ;  another  while,  that  by  this  command- 
ment God  enjoins  us  to  keep  holy  the  frst  day  of  the  week 
on  which  he  began  his  work  of  creation— Do  you  not  befool 
and  mislead  the  people  7 

"  You  who  (forgetting  your  own  doctrine  of  the  fourth 
commandment)  do  teach,  that  the  keeping  holy  the  first  day 
of  the  week,  or  Lord's  Day,  was  appointed  and  practised  by 
Christ  and  his  apostles,  yet  cannot  produce  so  much  as  one 
example  for  it,  much  less  a  precept — Do  you  not  befool  and 
mislead  the  people  7 

"  You  who  infer,  because  St.  Paul,  and  the  disciples  at 
Troas,  spent  the  whole  night  of  the  first  day  of  the  week  in 
praying,  preaching,  and  heavenly  conference,  in  regard  he 
was  to  leave  them^and  depart  on  the  morrow;  therefore.  St. 
Paul  and  the  disciples  at  Troas  met  that  night  to  keep  holy 
the  day  past ;  therefore  the  disciples  at  Troas  met  every  frst 


day  of  the  week,to  keep  that  day  hoiy;  therefore  the  Church 
at  Philippe  the  Church  in  Ciiicia,  and  all  Christian 
Churches,  did  then  keep  holy  the  first  day  of  the  week ; 
therefore  all  the  apostles  did  constantly  keep  holy  that  day ; 
therefore  Christ  and  his  apostles  apvoinled  the  first  day  oj 
the  week  to  be  for  ever  celebrated,  instead  of  the  Sabbath — 
Is  not  this  pitiful  logic  ?  Do  you  not  befool  and  mislead  the 
people  ? 

"  You  who  tell  stories  of  an  old  Sabbath  and  a  new  Sab- 
bath, a  Jewish  Sabbath  and  a  Christian  Sabbath,  a  Sabbath 
of  the  seventh  day  and  a  Sabbath  of  the  fist  day  of  the 
week ;  that  so  you  may  slily  fix  the  name  Sabbath  on  the 
Lord^s  Bay,  and  then  persuade  the  simple  and  ignorant  that 
all  those  texts  of  Scripture  wherein  mention  is  made  of  the 
Sabbath  day,  are  intended  of  the  Lord^s  Day  ;  when  indeed 
to  call  the-Lord's  Day  the  Sabbath,  is  as  senseless  as  to  call 
Sunday  Saturday,  or  the^rs^  day  the  last  day  of  the  week, 
when  throughout  the  Old  and  New  Testament  we  have  not 
the  least  mtimation  of  any  other  weekly  '^abbath,  save  the 
old,  Jewish,  seventh  day  Sabbath ;  when  you  yourselves 
confess  that  the  name  Lo-  s  Day,  is  more  proper  and  par- 
ticular, and  less  ,  .^vious  to  exception,  than  the  name  Sab- 
bath 5  and  at  the  name  Sabbath  is  in  dignity  inferior  to 
bo  ..X  Lord's  Day  and  Sunday — Do  you  not  befool  and  mis- 
lead the  people  ? 

You  that  condemn  the  yearly  observance  of  Christ's 
birth-day  as  heathenish,  yet  acknowledge  this  feast  to  be  a 
constitution  of  the  ancient  primitive  Church — Do  you  not 
befool  and  mislead  the  people  7 

"  Take  ye  heed  ;  these  are  not  small  matters  ;  consider 
well  with  yourselves  what  it  is  to  stand  guilty  before  God 
of  belying  Christ  and  his  apostles,  and  wilfully  wresting  the 
Holy  Scriptures.  Be  advised  ;  take  time  whilotime  is  to 
repent  of  those  notorious  slanders  wherewith  you  have  as- 

f)ersed  the  ancient  approved  ways  of  God's  worship;  and 
et  the  sincerity  of.  your  repentance  appear  by  the  speedy 
abandoning  of  your  unchristian  practices  and  principles; 
lest  the  heavy  judgment  of  seducers,  to  wax  worse  and 
worse,  fall  upon  you,  and  God  in  the  end  deliver  you  up  to 
such  strong  delusions,  that  you  should  believe  your  otcn 
liesP 


Published  by  the  American  Sabbath  Tract  Society, 
No.  9  Spruce  Street,  N.  Y. 


No.  6. 
TWENTY  REASONS 

FOR  KEEPING  HOLY  IN  EACH  WEEK, 

THE  SEVENTH  DAY  INSTEAD  OF  THE  FIRST  DAY. 

1.  Because  the  Seventh  Day  was  blessed  and  sanc- 
tified for  a  Sabbath,  by  God,  immediately  after  the  crea- 
tion of  the  world,  as  a  perpetual  memorial  of  that  won- 
derful work,  and  of  His  own  resting  from  it;  and  be- 
cause there  is  now  as  much  need  for  man  to  remember 
God's  creative  work,  and  to  enjoy  a  weekly  rest,  as  ever 
there  was. 

2.  Because  there  is  evidence  that  the  Seventh  Day 
was  observed  from  Adam  to  Moses,  by  Noah,  Jacob, 
Joseph,  and  Job.  (See  Gen.  vii.  4,  10;  viii.  10,  12; 
xxix.  27,  28;  1.  10;  Job.  ii.  3.) 

3.  Because  the  Seventh  Day  is  a  necessary  part  of 
the  fourth  commandment,  given  at  Mount  Sinai,  graven 
on  stone  by  the  finger  of  God,  and  incorporated  with 
the  other  nine  precepts  of  the  Decalogue,  which  are 
admitted  to  be  moral  in  their  nature,  and  perpetually 
binding.  "  Remember  the  Sabbath  Day  to  keep  it 
holy."  "  The  Seventh  Day  is  the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord 
thy  God."  "  For  in  six  days  the  Lord  made  heaven 
and  earth,  the  sea,  and  all  that  in  them  is,  and  rested 
the  Seventh  Day  ;  wherefore  the  Lord  blessed  the  Sab- 
bath Day  and  hallowed  it." 

4.  Because  the  Old  Testament  abounds  with  decla- 
rations of  God's  blessing  upon  those  who  keep  holy  the 
Seventh  Day,  and  of  his  vengeance  upon  those  who 
profane  it. 

5.  Because  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  enforced  the 
claims  of  the  law  to  the  fullest  extent,  saying  in  regard 
lo  the  code  to  which  the  Seventh  Day  belonged,  "  TiP 
heaven  and  earth  pass,  one  jot  or  one  tittle  shall  in  no 


2 

wise  pass  from  the  law,  till  all  be  fulfilled ;"  and  be- 
cause He  always  kept  holy  the  Seventh  Day,  in  this 
doubtless  "  leaving  us  an  example  that  we  should  follow 
in  tfls  steps  " 

6.  Because  the  holy  women  who  had  attended  Jesus 
Christ  at  his  death  and  burial,  are  expressly  said  to  have 
"  rested  the  Sabbath  Day  according  to  the  command- 
ment,'" (Luke  xxiii.  56;)  and  because,  though  the  narra- 
tive proceeds  immediately  to  record  the  appearance  of 
Jesus  Christ,  on  the  morning  of  the  first  day  of  the 
week,  neither  there  nor  elsewhere  is  one  word  said  about 
a  change  of  the  Sabbath,  or  about  the  sabbatic  observ- 
ance of  the  First  Day  of  the  Week. 

7.  Because  the  Apostles  of  our  Lord  constantly 
kept  the  Seventh  Day,  of  which  there  is  abundant  evi- 
dence in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  ,  and  it  is  declared  Oj 
Paul,  that,  "  as  his  manner  icas,"  he  went  into  tiie  syna- 
gogue frequently  on  the  Sabbath  Day.  (Compare  Luke 
iv.  16  with  Acts  xvii.  2;  see  also  Acts  xiii.  J  4,  42,  44, 
and  xvi.  13.) 

8.  Because  Jesus  Christ,  foretelling  the  destruc- 
tion of  Jerusalem,  warned  his  disciples  to  pray  that  their 
•flight  might  not  happen  "  on  the  Sabbath  Day ;"  and  as 
that  event  was  to  take  place  almost  forty  years  after  the 
resurrection  of  our  Lord,  it  appears  that  the  same  Sab- 
bath was  to  be  then  observed  by  his  disciples. 

9.  Because  there  is  no  other  day  of  the  vreek 
called  by  the  name  of**  Sabbath,"  in  all  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures, but  the  Seventh  Day  alone ;  and  because,  when 
**  the  First  Day  of  the  Week  "  is  mentioned  in  the  New 
Testament,  it  is  always  clearly  distinguished  from  *'  the 
Sabbath." 

10  Because  not  one  of  those  passages  which  speak 
of  the  ''First  Day  of  the  Week,"  records  an  event  or 
tYansaction  peculiar  to  the  Sabbath. 


Jl.  Because  when  God  had  so  carefully  committed 
his  Law  to  writing,  had  repeated  his  precepts  through- 
out the  prophetic  books,  and  had  left  so  many  testimo- 
iiies  and  examples  of  the  Seventh  Day  Sabbath  on  His 
sacred  records,  it  is  most  unreasonable  to  suppose  that 
He  would  have  repealed  or  changed  one  single  article 
thereof,  without  recording  it  among  the  words  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  or  His  Apostles,  in  the  writings  of  the  New 
Testament. 

12.  Because  the  observance  of  the  Moral  Law, 
'without  any  exception  from  it,)  is  constantly  enjoined, 
in  the  writings  of  the  Apostles;  and  one  of  them  says 
that  "  Whc>soever  shall  keep  the  whole  law,  and  yet  of- 
fend m  one  point,  he  is  guilty  of  all,"  quoting  at  the 
same  time  the  sixth  and  seventh  commandments.  (See 
Rom.  xiii.  9 ;  Gal.  v.  14 ;  Eph.  vi.  2,  3 ;  and  James  ii. 
8-11.) 

13.  Because  the  religious  observance  of  the  Seventh 
Day  of  the  Week  as  the  Sahbath,  was  constantly  prac- 
tised by  the  primitive  Christians,  for  three  or  four  hun- 
dred years  at  least;  and  because,  though  it  gradually 
fell  into  disuse,  the  neglect  of  the  Sabbath  was  caused 
only  by  those  corruptions  of  Christianity,  which  at  length 
grew  up  into  the  grossest  idolatry;  so  that  the  second 
commandment  was  in  fact,  and  the  fourth  was  in  efieci, 
abolished  by  an  ignorant,  superstitious,  and  tyrannical 
priesthood. 

14.  Because  it  was  only  through  the  superstitious 
observance  of  the  anniversaries  of  saints  and  martyrs, 
and  a  multitude  of  other  fasts  and  feasts,  with  which 
the  simplicity  of  revealed  religion  was  encumbered  and 
overwhelmed,  that  the  sabbatic  observance  of  the  Sev- 
enth Day  went  out  of  use ;  and  not  (in  fact)  by  any  real 
or  pretended  command  of  Christ  or  His  apostles,  nor  at 
first  by  the  express  authority  of  any  Pope  or  Council  : 
for  it  was  kept  as  a  strict  fast,  for  ages  after  it  lost 
every  other  token  of  a  holy  dav. 


15.  Because  the  leaders  of  the  Reformation  nevei 
claimed  for  the  First  Day  the  name  of  the  Sabbath,  and 
never  enforced  the  observance  of  that  dav  by  any  other 
authority  than  that  of  the  Church. 

16.  Because  it  is  obviously  absurd — [and  it  is  an 
objection  often  made  hy  irreligious  people) — that  the  ob' 
servance  of  the  First  Day  of  the  Week  as  the  Sabbath , 
should  be  grounded  on  a  divine  precept  which  com- 
mands the  observance,  not  of  the  First,  but  of  the 
Seventh  Day. 

17.  Because,  if  the  fundamental  principle  of  Pro- 
testantism be  right  and  true,  that  "  the  Bible  alone  is 
the  religion  of  Protestants,"  then  the  Seventh  Day  must 
be  the  true  and  only  Sabbath  of  Protestants  ;  for,  unless 
that  day  of  the  w^eek  be  kept,  they  have  no  scriptural 
Sabbath  at  all. 

18.  Because  the  pertinacious  observance  of  the 
First  Day  of  the  Week,  in  the  stead  of  the  Seventh,  has 
actually  given  occasion  of  great  scandal  to  the  Protest- 
ant faith  ;  it  has  caused  the  Papists  to  declare  that  Pro- 
testants admit  the  authority  of  human  tradition  in  mat- 
ters of  religion  ;  and  it  has  led  to  intolerance  and  per- 
secution. 

19.  Because  the  observance  of  the  First  Day,  and 
neglect  of  the  Seventh,  having  been  adopted  partly  in 
contempt  of  the  Jews,  has  always  laid  a  burden  upon 
them,  and  presented  an  obstacle  to  their  receiving 
Christianity,  which  ought  to  be  removed. 

20.  Because  the  observance  of  the  Seventh  Day 
obeys  God,  honors  the  Protestant  Principle,  rebukes 
Papacy,  removes  stumbling-blocks,  and  secures  for  us 
the  presence  and  blessing  of  "  the  Lord  of  the  Sabbath." 


Published  by  the  American  Sabbath  Tract  Society, 
No.  9  Sonjce  Street.  N.  Y. 


No.  7. 

PLAIN  QUESTIONS. 

Reader  !  be  pleased  to  give  a  plain  an- 
swer to  each  of  these  plain  questions,  with- 
out equivocation  or  mental  reservation. 

1.  Did  God,  after  he  had  finished  the  work  of  crea- 
tion, "bless  and  sanctify"  the  seventh  day  of  the  week; 
or  simply  the  seventh  part  of  time,  without  reference  to 
any  particular  day  of  the  seven  ? 

2.  Did  He  not  sanctify  the  very  day  in  which  he 
rested  from  his  work  ?  Was  not  that  the  last  day  of  the 
seven  .''     Did  He  sanctify  any  other  ? 

3.  WHY  did  He  "  bless  and  sanctify"  the  seventh 
day  ?  Was  it  not  because  he  rested  on  that  day  ?  Will 
this  reason  apply  to  any  other  day  of  the  seven  ?  .  Did  he 
not  work  on  EVERY  other  day  ?     (See  Gen.  2  :  2,  3.) 

4.  Is  not  God's  example  of  resting  on  the  seventh  day 
enjoined  upon  us  for  imitation  ?  (Ex.  20  :  8 — 1 1.)  Do 
we  imitate  him,  when  we  rest  upon  some  other  day  than 
the  one  in  which  He  rested  ? 

5.  Is  it  the  special  appointment  of  God  which  rendei\ 
a  day  holy,  or  is  it  our  own  act  ?  Is  the  day  holy  becaust 
we  count  it  so,  or  because  God  has  made  it  so  ? 

6.  When  God  enjoins  us  to  count  the  Sabbath,  "  the 
holy  of  the  Lord,"  (Isa.  58  :  13,)  is  it  not  equivalent  to 
telling  us  that  He  himself  has  previously  constituted  it  a 
holy  day  by  blessing  and  sanctifying  it  ?  Is  it  any  thing 
more  than  requiring  us  to  reckon  the  day  to  possess  that 
dignity  which  He  has  already  conferred  upon  it  1 

7.  If  God's  blessing  does  not  rest  upon  one  particular- 
ly specified  day,  to  the  exclusion  of  all  others,  and  we  are 

[Sabbath  Tract  Society.] 


neveitkeless  requiievl  to  keep  a  day  holy,  are  we  not  r»- 
rt\iuirt\l  to  do  what  «.<  impcssible  f  Vov  how  can  w« 
count  a  day  to  be  holy,  which  Ood  hi>s  not  prerijusly 
made  s<.>  r   *  (Compile  Unest.  5.) 

S  It"  God's  blesjsiniT  did  not  rest  upon  one  jvnticularly 
fpecilied  day,  could  lie  chaUengv  to  lunisohany  pvopiiety 
m  one  day  more  tlum  in  another  •  "1  et  in  the  SabbalJi 
dav  he  claims  a  special  propriety  ;  '•  My  holt/  </«y."  (Isii. 
oS:    13 ) 

^J.  Are  we  not  conunandtxl  to  reiniin  irom  labor  in 
that  vtrp  ddi/  which  God  once  ••  blesstxl  and  sanctititnl," 
and  thereby  n\iule  holy  -time  1  "  In  IT  thou  shah  no: 
do  iuiy  worlc,'-  *Itc.  Do  we  obey  this  command  when 
we  work  all  of  that  day,  and  make  it  the  busiest  day  o' 
all  tile  seven  • 

10.  U  it  be  downright  disobedience  to  set  about  our 
work  on  the  seventh  day,  when  God  s;iys,  "  in  it  thou 
shall  NOT  do  any  work,"  can  we  tliinlv  to  make  amends 
:or  this  act  of  disobedience  by  ceasing  from  work  on  ano- 
clier  day  •  Even  rWe  performance  of  a  required  duty  will 
not  make  amends  f..n-  another  one  negUvted.  Mow  much 
less,  then,  the  performance  of  something  which  is  not  re- 
quired '     "  Who  iiath  itxpiired  this  at  your  hand  ?" 

1 1  Has  God  ever  taken  atcav  the  blessing  which  ho 
once  put  upon  the  seventh  day,  and  made  that  day  a  com 
mon  or  secular  day  ■ 

i'2.     Docs  not  the  reason  of  the  blessing  (See  Uiiest  • 
3,1  possess  all  the  cogency  now  that  it  ever  did  ?     Has  it 
lost  force  by  the  laj^se  of  time  .-     And  wliiie  the  reason  ol 
an  institution  remains,  does  not  the  institution  itself  re- 
main ' 

13.     Was  the  reason  of  tlie  blessing  which  God  origin- 
ally put  upon  the  seventh  day,  founded  upon  any  need 
that  men  tlieii  liad  of  a  Kcileemer  .'     Was  it  therefore  to 
receive  its  accomplishment  and  fultillment  by  the  actual 
[No.  7.  J 


eominir  of  th^;  lioAncAuar 'i  in  what  poKhible  sen»e  can  U 
be  k;ij'],  liuit.  Jchu  .  C})rj;--t  ful/ill';'J  and  lu-.Atr.m  (-aA  oflhij 
reason  ? 

14,  1  l.'u->  '  jiod  «;vor  hai'i  of  thfi  fim  riay  of  the  week,  in 
t/  tiioij  ftlialt  not  do  any  work  '^  Ihxa  Clirist  over  baid  bo  ? 
Have  tiio  apostlcw  'I 

15,  1h  tlicro  ariy  Kcriptural  proof  that  Chrifel,  or  hi« 
apogties,  or  iho  Chriiitian  c}jurcho8  in  th«j  days  of  the  apos- 
ticB,  refraincA  from  Labor  on  the  first  day  of  the  watk't 

jfj.  As  t}j',re  is  no  transgression  where  there  is  no 
law,  {U')m.  4  ;  15  :  John  '4  :  4,)  wj-iat  sin  is  committed  by 
workifj;^  on  the  first  day  of  the  week? 

17.  1  >'i(;:s  /loi  tlie  Sabbatic  Institution  RESULT  from 
tlie  bJes.sing  ajid  .sanctifying  of  a  particular  day  ?  Is  not 
this /Aft  vnrij  Iking  in  w kick  it  consists?  How  then  is 
the  institution  .Heparahie  from  the  d;iy  thus  "  bles.sed  and 
•anctified" 'il  How  can  it  be  separatofl  from  that  upon 
<vliich  its  very  existence  depends  ? 

18,  If  the  very  life  and  soul  of  the  institution  consist 
in  the  blessing  which  was  once  put  upon  a  particular  day, 
is  it  not  idle  to  Uilk  of  the  transfer  of  the  institution  to 
another  day 'if  If  another  <lay  has  been  sanctified  and 
blessed,  then  it  is  an  entirdy  nam  institution,  and  not  a 
transfer  of  the  old. 

I  'i.  Does  not  the  law  of  the  Sabbath  require  .he  weelf- 
ly  com/nemoration  of  tkat  rest  which  God  entered  into 
aJfter  Ikj  had  fmisljed  the  work  of  creation  ?  By  what 
principle  of  law  or  logic,  then,  can  thiit  law  be  made  to 
require  the  commemoration  of  the  work  of  redemption  ? 

20.  U  it  be  nece-gsary  that  the  work  of  redemption  be 
eorninetnoraled  weekly  by  a  positive  in.stitution,  must  not 
tJie  fjbligation  so  to  commemorate  it  arise  from  some  law 
whi(^|j  directly  and  specifically  requires  it?  But  when, 
instead  of  this,  tin;  att(;mpt  is  made  to  derive  the  obligation 
from  the  S-ibbuth  law,  is  it  not  a  tacit  ac]vru>wledgment 
I  No.  7.  I 


that  there  is  no  law  requiring  the  weekly  commemora* 
tion  of  the  work  of  redemption  'I 

21.  Does  the  Scripture  ever  apply  the  name,  Sahhatli^ 
to  the  first  day  of  the  week?  Even  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment, where  the  term  is  used,  is  not  the  reference  always 
o  the  seventh  day  ? 

22.  If  Luke,  who  wrote  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  ful 
thirty  years  after  the  death  of  Christ,  under  the  inspiration 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  still  calls  the  seventh  day  of  the  week  the 
Sabbath,  can  it  be  wrong  in  us  to  do  so  1  (See  Acts  13 
14,42,44;  15:  1,3;  17:  1,2;  18:4.)  If  this  be  the 
inspired  application  of  the  term  so  many  years  after  all 
ihe  ceremonial  institutions  were  nailed  to  the  cross,  is  it 
not  our  duty  to  make  the  same  use  of  the  term  now  ? 

23.  Is  it  not  a  manifest  perversion  of  the  scriptural 
use  of  terms,  to  take  away  the  sacred  name  from  the  sev- 
enth day  of  the  week,  and  give  it  to  the  first  day? 

24.  When  the  first  day  of  the  week  is  so  o-enerally 
called  the  Sabbath,  are  not  the  common  people  thereby 
led  to  suppose  that  the  Bible  calls  it  so  ?  Are  they  not 
thus  grossly  deceived  ? 

25.  If  the  name  Sabbath  were  no  longer  applied  to 
this  day,  and  it  should  simply  be  called  first  day  of  the 
week,  as  in  the  Bible,  is  it  not  probable  that  it  would  soon 
lose  its  sacredness  in  the  eyes  of  the  people  ? 

26.  Is  it  possible,  then,  that  God  has  not  given  the 
day  a  name  sufficiently  sacred  to  secure  for  it  a  religious 
regard,  nor  even  guarded  it  with  a  law  sufficient  to  pre- 
vent its  desecration  ? 

27.  What  then  ?  HAS  GOD  LEFT  HIS  WORK 
FOR  MAN  TO  MEND !  IS  IT  NOT  SAFE  TO 
LEAVE  THE  DAY  AS  GOD  HAS  LEFT  IT! 
"  Who  hath  directed  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  or  being  hia 
counsellor  hath  taught  him  ?"     (Isa.  11:   13.) 

[  No.  7.  ] 


28.  Are  you  very  sure  that  by  the  Lord's  day.  (Kev 
:   10,)  is  meant  the  first  day  of  the  week?     Have  you 

any  Scripture  proof  of  it?  Have  you  any  other  proof  of 
It  than  the  testimony  of  those  who  are  called  the  early  Fa- 
thers ?     . 

29.  If  the  testimony  of  the  early  Fathers  is  to  be  relied 
on,  that  the  Lord's  day  means  the  first  day  of  the  week, 
ought  not  their  testimony  to  be  just  as  much  relied  on,  as 
to  the  manner  in  which  the  primitive  Christians  observed 
the  day  ? 

20.  If  it  were  even  certain  that  by  the  Lord's  day  the 
writer  of  the  book  of  Revelations  meant  to  designate  the 
first  day  of  the  week,  would  it  thence  follow  that  it  is  a 
day  sacred  by  divint  appointment,  any  n;Ore  than  that 
the  "  Sabbath  day^s  journey^''  (Acts  1  :  12,)  was  a  distance 
limited  and  prescribed  by  divine  authority?  If  Luke 
''.ould  select  the  latter  expression  from  the  vocabulary  of 
Auman  tradition^  without  intending  to  sanction  it  as  being 
of  divine  origin,  could  not  John  do  the  same  with  regard 
to  the  former  expression  ? 

31.  Do  the  Fathers,  or  any  one  of  them,  inform  us 
that  the  Lord's  day  was  observed  by  abstinence  from  la- 
\}r  ? — that  it  was  observed  as  the  Sabbath  ?  Mark  the 
question.  It  is  not,  was  the  day  observed^  simply ;  but, 
was  it  observed  as  the  Sabbath  ? 

32.  Is  there  not  an  important  distinction  between  the 
Sabbath  and  a  religious  festival  ?  Does  not  the  vrord 
Sabbath  mean  rest  ?  Can  any  day,  therefore,  be  called 
a  Sabbath  day,  which  is  not  a  day  of  rest  from  ordinary 
labor? 

33.  J)oes  a  xeMgioviS  festival  require  any  thing  mor^ 
han  the  commemoration  of  some  important  event,  allo«- 

[No.  7.1 


6 

ing  the  time  not  occupied  in  the  public  celebration  of  it  to 
be  spent  in  labor  or  amusement  ?  Is  not  this  precisely 
the  manner  in  which  the  first  day  of  the  week  was  obserV' 
ed,  according  to  the  testimony  of  the  ancient  Fathers? 

34.  Though  the  observance  of  the  first  day  of  the  week 
as  a  religious  festival  be  in  itself  innocent,  (Rom.  14  :  5,)  so 
long  as  it  is  not  made  a  pretext  for  dispensing  with  an  ex- 
press law  of  God,  (Matt.  15  :  6,)  yet  do  you  find  it  any 
where  in  the  word  of  God  commanded  as  a  duly  ? 

35.  Do  you  believe  that  a  Sabbath,  in  the  true  and 
proper  sense  of  the  term  ;  namely,  a  day  of  rest  from  all 
ordinary  labor,  is  necessary  and  indispensable  to  the  well- 
being  of  manlcind  ?  If  so,  do  you  honestly  suppose  that 
God  would  set  it  aside,  and  have  its  place  supplied  by 
nothing  more  than  a  religious  festival? 

36.  Is  it  not  wicked  to  uphold  a  course  which  makes 
the  commandment  of  God  of  none  effect?  (Matt.  15. 
1—9;  Mark  7:   1—13. 

Reader !  carefuiiy  puutkr  the  foicgoii;g 
questions,  together  with  the  Scripture  refer 
ences.  Answer  them  as  you  w  ould  if  you 
stood  at  the  gates  of  deatli.  Do  not  trifle 
with  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God,  by  forcibly 
wresting  his  word  from  its  obvious  meaning. 
Let  conscience  be  unfettered ;  and  act,  as 
fully  realizing  that "  THOU,  GOD,  SEEST 
ME." 


Published  by  the  American  Sabbath  Tract  Society, 
No.  9  Spruce  Street,  N.  Y. 


DIALOGUE, 

Betweon  a  Minkter  of  the  Gospel  and  a  Sabbatarian 

Sfhbb(t*arian.  Did  Jehovah  ever  sanctify  one  day  above 
another  ? 

Minister.    He  did. 

^.  And  what  day  was  that? 

M.  The  seventh. 

^.    When? 

M.  When  he  finished  his  creative  work. 

S.    Where? 

M.  In  Eden. 

(S.    On  whom  was  it  obligatory? 

M.  On  our  first  parents,  and  all  their  posterity. 

S.    Did  he  ever  unsanctify  that  day? 

M.  No. 

iS.  Did  he  ever  sanctify  the  first,  or  any  other  day 
t\tttn  the  seventh,  as  a  day  of  rest? 

M.    Not  that  I  know  of. 

^  Then  do  not  those  Avho  neglect  the  seventh  day, 
take  away  something  from  the  word  of  God  ?  And  do 
not  those  who  keep  the  first  day  add  to  that  word  ?  Read 
the  threatnings  of  the  Lord  against  such  : — "  If  any  man 
shall  add  unto  these  things,  God  shall  add  unto  him  the 
nijgv^eG  xha.  ave  \7n1tPn  in  this  book :  ^.iid  if  hav  -nai 
.«:hall  take  away  from  the  words  of  the  book  of  tnis  pro- 
phecy, God  shall  take  away  his  part  out  of  the  book  of 
life,  and  out  of  the  holy  city,  and  from  the  things  which 
are  written  in  this  book." 


COUNTERFEIT  COIN. 

Being  the  substance  of  a  recent  Conversation  between  an  eminent 
Counsellor  at  Law  and  a  Sabbatarian. 

The  La\Aryer  contended  that  although  the  first  day  of 
Jie  week  had  no  divine  authority  for  its  sanctity  or  ob- 
servance as  a  Sabbath,  yet  if  it  be  kept  as  scrupulously 
and  conscientiously  as  the  seventh  day  demanded,  it  covM 
not  but  be  as  acceptable  to  God 


In  answer  to  such  sophistry,  the  Sabbatarian  submitted 
the  following  legal  case  to  him : — 

"  I  am  told  that  I  can  purchase,  in  the  State  of  Connec- 
ticut, one  hundred  copper  cents,  bearing-  the  impress  and 
superscription  of  the  United  States  Mint,  and  equal  in 
every  respect  in  value  to  the  mint  coin,  for  sixty-jive  cenis, 
payable  in  gold  or  silver.  But  I  admit  them  to  be  coun- 
/erfeit.  I  admit,  also,  that  I  circulate  this  spurious  coin. 
Now,  will  you  undertake,  for  a  fee  of  $10,000,  to  defend 
my  cause  against  a  prosecution  for  passing  such  false 
coin,  and  exonerate  me  from  conviction  in  the  United 
States'  Courts." 

The  honest  lawyer's  answer  unhesitatingly  was,  "  1 
cannot  argue  your  cause  in  the  very  teeth  of  so  unques- 
tionable a  law  as  appears  to  exist  on  the  Statute  Books."* 

The  Sabbatarian  replied : — "  Then,  as  you  admit  your 
first  day  Sabbath  a  counterfeit^  allow  me  to  answer  you 
as  the  celebrated  Mr.  Whiston  did  Chancellor  King  of 
England  upon  a  similar  question :  *  If  God  Almighty 
should  be  as  consistent,  as  just,  and  as  jealous  of  his  laws 
in  the  Court  of  Heaven,  as  my  Lord  Chancellor  is  in  his. 
where  are  ive  then  i"  " 

The  Inference. — If,  then,  I  cannot  obtain  an  advocate 
on  earth,  (for  no  one  of  repute  would  undertake  it,)  to 
plead  my  cause  with  the  offer  of  a  fee  of  $10,000,  for  the 
violation  of  a  law  of  man's  making,  what  ground  have  I 
to  expect  that  the  only  advocate  to  be  obtained  in  the 
Court  of  Heaven,  i.  e.  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  will  defend 
my  cause  against  a  breach  of  that  law  which  his  father 
ever  mad  e  punishable  with  death,  temporal  and  eternal  f 
— and  who  himself,  when  on  earth,  in  his  comment  on 
that  law,  averred  that  not  one  jot  or  tittle  could  in  any 
wise  pass  from  it?     (Matt.  5  :   18,  19.) 

•  If  any  person  shall  falsely  make  or  counterfeit  any  copper  coin 
of  the  United  States,  or  pass  or  publish  the  same,  he  shall  be  sub 
«cted  to  a  fine  of  $1000,  and  suffer  imprisonment  to  hard  labor  for 
t  term  not  exceeding  three  years. — Go'donV  Digesjl,  p.  922. 


Published  by  the  American  Sabbath  Tract  Society, 
No.  9  Spruce  Street,  N.  Y. 


No.  8. 

SABBATH  CONTllOVKRSY, 


THE  TRUE  ISSUE. 

One  of  the  greatest  difficulties  which  we  who  observe 
the  seventh  day  have  ever  found  in  the  Sabbath  contro- 
versy, is  to  make  our  opponents  understand  what  is  the 
real  question  at  issue.  So  long  have  their  thoughts, 
feelings  and  habits,  been  moulded  under  one  particular 
view  of  the  subject,  that  it  seems  almost  a  miracle  if 
one  is  found  who  can  disregard  all  foreign  matter,  and 
look  at  the  precise  point  in  debate  long  enough  to 
come  to  any  certain  and  intelligent  conclusion  about  it. 
But  it  is  evident,  that  if  an  opponent  is  suffered  to  raise 
false  issues,  or  to  be  continually  striking  oflf  into  the 
discussion  of  some  point  which  does  not  affect  the  final 
question,  we  may  prolong  the  controversy  ad  wjinitum. 

Let  us  then  endeavor  to  state  distinctly  what  is,  and 
what  is  not,  the  issue  between  us  and  the  observers  of 
the  first  day  of  the  week. 

I.  The  issue  is  not  whether  the  first  day  of  the 
week  was  observed  at  a  very  early  period  by  Christians. 
We  admit  that  it  was.  We  admit  that  its  observance 
may  be  traced  up  to  very  near  the  borders  of  the  apos- 
tolic age.  What  more  can  a  generous,  conscientious 
opponent,  who  scorns  any  other  aid  than  what  the  truth 
will  give  him,  ask?  He  knows  in  his  own  soul  that 
this  is  the  very  utmost  that  can  be  produced  from  any 
of  his  histories.  Let  him  ransack  his  old  musty  volumes 
all  the  way  backward,  till  he  fancies  he  can  almost  talk 
to  the  **  beloved  disciple"  face  to  face,  and  what  more 
can  he  find  ?     Verily,  nothing. 

But  when  you  have  got  this  admission  from  us,  then 
we  have  another  question  to  ask.  How — don't  dodge 
the  question — HOW  was  the  day  observed  by  the  early 
Christians  ?  We  admit  the  observance  of  it ;  but  that 
is  not  the  issue.  The  issue  respects  the  manner  of 
observing  it.     You,  if  you  are   consistent,  will  say  that 


THE    TKUli  ISSIJK. 


the  early  Christians  observed  it  not  only  by  public  woi«» 
ship,  but  by  abstaining  from  labor.  We,  on  the  other 
hand,  deny  that  they  abstained  from  labor.  We  admit 
tliat  they  held  public  worship  ;  but — we  repeat  it — we 
deny  that  they  abstained  from  labor.  We  deny  that 
they  regarded  it  as  a  Sabbath,  "  resting  according  to 
the  connnandnient."  Now  with  the  issue  thus  fairly 
stated,  we  put  the  laboring  oar  into  your  hands,  and 
challenge  you  to  prove  your  position.  Bring  proof,  if 
you  can,  that  the  early  Christians  regarded  the  first  day 
of  the  week  as  any  thing  else  than  a  religions  festival ; 
between  which  and  a  Sabbath  there  is  a  very  important 
difference,  tiie  latter  requiring  abstinence  from  labor,  the 
former  merely  requiring  public  worship  in  honor  of  the 
event  commemorated,  and  allowing  the  remainder  of 
the  day  to  be  spent  in  labor  or  amusement. 

2.  When  it  is  once  settled,  that  in  a  very  early  period 
of  the  church  the  first  day  was  observed  as  a  festival ; 
when  our  opponents  have  fairly  jaded  themselves  to  a 
'*  weariness  of  the  flesh,"  in  their  "  much  study"  of  the 
old  fathers,  to  find  proof  of  it  ; — though  we  never  called 
it  in  question  ; — then  the  issue  is,  whether  this  festival 
was  ordained  by  Christ  ? — whether  the  New  Testament 
furnishes  inspired  exainple  of  such  festival  1  Our  oppo- 
nents affirm ;  we  deny.  We  maintain  that  in  every 
passage  of  the  New  Testament,  where  the  first 
day  of  the  week  is  mentioned,  the  context  furnishes 
a  sufficient  reason  why  it  is  mentioned,  without 
the  least  necessity  of  supposing  it  to  have  been  a 
festival  season.  No  exception  can  be  made  to  this, 
unless  in  regard  to  1  Cor.  IG  :  2.  The  reason  why  the 
Apostle  in  this  place  specifies  the  first,  rather  than  any 
other  day  of  the  week,  does  not  so  clearly  appear  from 
the  context ;  but  the  peculiar  phraseology  employed, 
"  let  each  one  of  you  lay  by  him,"  [himself,]  is  against 
the  idea  of  any  public  meeting;  and  if  no  public  meet- 
ing, of  course  no  festival  season.  As  every  allusion 
to  the  first  day  of  the  week  is  sufficiently  explained  by 


THE     TllUK     ISSUE.  O 

Other  circumstances  noticed  in  the  context,  the  inferen- 
tial })roof  of  its  festival  character  is  thereby  destroyed. 
As  for  clear,  positive  proof  of  it,  such  as  express  precept 
or  command,  no  person  of  modesty  pretends  it.  Still 
less  is  there  any  proof  of  its  Sabbatic  character. 

3.  Another  point  wherein  we  are  necessarily  at  issue 
with  great  numbers  of  Christians,  is  whether  the  iristi- 
tution  of  the  Sabbath  is  separable  from  the  particular 
day  to  be  observed.  They  affirm  :  we  deny.  We  main- 
tain that  God's  blessing  and  sanctifying  a  particular  day 
is  the  very  thing  in  which  the  institution  consists.  To 
render  this  plaiix  matter  yet  more  plain,  we  invite  close 
attention  to  the  wording  of  the  fourth  commandment; 
premising,  however,  that  the  word  Sabbath  is  not  trans- 
lated from  a  Hebrew  word,  but  is  the  Hebrew  word  it- 
self anglicized,  just  as  baptism  is  an  anglicized  Greek 
word.  The  proper  translation  of  the  word  is  Rest. 
Now  let  the  word  Rest  be  substituted  for  Sabbath,  and 
how  clear  it  becomes — 

**  Remember  the  Rest  day  to  keep  it  holy''  [Surely 
some  particular  day  is  denoted  ;  for  it  is  the  Rest  day, 
not  A  Rest  day.]  Six  days  shalt  thou  labor,  and  do  all 
thy  work  ;  but  the  seventh  day  is  the  Rest  of  the  Lord 
thy  God.  [Is  it  any  where  historically  recorded  as  a  fact 
^hat  God  rested  on  THE  seventh  day  ?  It  is.  Gen.  2:  2. 
'  On  the  seventh  day  God  rested  from  all  his  work  which 
he  had  made.'  Who  does  not  see  that  that  day  on  which 
God  rested,  was  the  last  of  the  seven  which  constituted 
the  first  week  of  time  ?]  In  it — [in  what  ?  why,  in  the 
seventh  day,  the  last  day  of  the  week ;  for  the  pronoun 
it  can  have  no  other  antecedent] — thou  shalt  not  do 
any  work,  thou,  nor  thy  son,  nor  thy  daughter,  nor  thy 
man-servant,  nor  thy  maidservant,  nor  thy  cattle,  nor 
the  stranger  that  is  ivithin  thy  gates.  [Why  must  no 
work  be  done  on  that  particular  day,  the  seventh  or  last 
day  of  the  week  ?  The  reason  follows.]  For  in  six 
days  the  Lord  made  heaven  and  earth,  the  sea  and  all 
that  in  them  is,  and  RESTED  on  the  seventh  day,   fas 


4  THE    TRUE     ISSUE 

the  record  in  Gen.  "2  :  2  proves.     See  also  Heb.  4 :  4.] 
Wlierefore  the  Lord  blessed  the  Rest  day  and  sanctified 

itr 

The  conclusioii  is  irresistible,  that  the  Rest  day  spo- 
ken of  is  the  particular  day  on  which  God  rested  from 
his  work,  which,  as  before  shown,  was  the  last  day  of 
trie  week.  That  very  day,  and  no  other,  God  blessed  and 
sanctified.  The  only  reason  assigned  ivhy  he  sanctified 
it,  is  "  because  that  in  it  he  had  rested  from  all  his 
work  which  God  created  and  made."  Gen.  2  :  3.  The 
Rest  day,  then,  which  we  are  required  to  observe,  is 
*'  the  Rest  of  the  Lord  thy  God  :"  which  does  not  mean 
the  rest  which  the  Lord  thy  God  has  appointed,  though 
it  is  true  that  he  has  appointed  it ;  nor  does  it  mean  a 
rest  which  becomes  the  Lord's  by  reason  of  our  appro- 
priating it  to  him  ;  but  "  the  rest  of  the  Lord  thy  God" 
means  the  rest  which  the  Lord  thy  God  observed. 

Now  from  all  this  we  think  it  must  be  evident,  that 
whoever  observes  any  other  Rest  day  than  the  seventh 
day  of  the  week,  does  not  observe  the  Rest — Sabbath— 
"of the  Lord  thy  God."  He  may.  It  is  true,  appro- 
priate it  to  the  Lord  his  God,  and  in  that  sense  call  it 
theLord's  ;  he  may  ignorantly  suppose  that  Christ  in  th© 
Gospel  has  appointed  it,  and  in  that  sense  also  cat!  it 
the  Lord's ;  but  it  can  by  no  means  be  called  "  the 
Rest  of  the  Lord  thy  God  "  in  the  sense  of  that  expres- 
sion in  the  fourth  commandment.  Hence,  irresistible 
IS  our  conviction,  that  he  does  not  obey  the  command- 
ment. O  brother  Christian,  why  will  you  persist  in 
maintaining  that  your  Sunday  keeping  is  an  act  of 
obedience  to  the  law  of  the  Sabbath  1 


Published  by  the  American  Sabbath  Tract  Society, 
No.  9  Spruce-street,  New- York. 


No.  9 

THE  FOURTH  COMMANDMENT. 

FALSE  EXPOSITION  AND  ITS  CONSEQUENCES. 

The  Fourth  Commandment  has  been  variously  ex- 
pounded by  its  professed  friends.  Among  these  expo- 
sitions, none  has  been  more  injurious  than  that  which 
represents  it  as  requiring  the  observance,  not  of  the 
Sabbath,  and  the  seventh  day,  but  of  a  Sabbath,  and  a 
seventh  day — not  of  a  certain  and  well-known  time,  but 
of  an  uncertain  and  varying  time.  Yet  this  is  the  expo- 
sition of  it  which  is  given  both  by  commentators  and 
writers  on  the  subject  of  the  Sabbath.  It  will  be  found, 
however,  that  this  view  is  generally  presented  in  order 
to  prepare  the  way  to  introduce  the  first  day  of  the  week, 
under  the  specious  name  of  Lord's  Day,  into  the  place  of 
the  Sabbath.  Thus  some  are  made  to  think,  that  the 
name  Sabbath  may  as  well  be  applied  to  the  first  day  of 
the  week  as  to  the  seventh.  But  to  such  an  exposition 
there  are  several   serious  objections : — 

1.  It  is  a  perversion  of  the  original  text  itself  In 
every  place  where  the  weekly  Sabbath  and  the  seventh 
day  are  spoken  of,  the  Hebrew  article  is  uniformly  used. 
This  article  is  often  used  like  our  demonstrative  this 
— but  more  comm3nly  like  our  definite  article  the — 
never  as  our  indefinite  article  a  ox  an  )  and  Gesenius, 
m  answer  to  the  question  whether  it  may  be  used  inclc- 
firiiteli/,  says,  "  The  definite  article  cannot  be  rightly 
s  lid  to  stand  indefinitely."  To  this  opinion  agree  ail 
our  translators,  both  ancient  and  modern,  who  hav*3 
rendered  the  terms,  both  in  the  fourth  commandment 
and  all  other  places  of  the  Scripture,  by  the  Sabbath 
and  the  seventh  day. 

2.  It  makes  the  Fourth  Commandment  to  be  inde- 
finite and  absurd.     If  that  commandment  only  requires 


2  THE  FOURTH  COMMANDMENT. 

the  observance  of  a  Sabbath  or  rest,  and  that  en  a  seventh 
day,  then  one  man  might  keep  the  seventh  day,  another 
the  third  day,  and  another  the  fifth  day,  yet  all  obey  the 
commandment.  What  confusion  would  thus  result  from 
carrying  out  this  exposition  to  its  legitimate  results  ! 
But  God's  commandment  is  not  yea  and  nay  after  this 
manner.  It  says,  "  the  seventh  day  is  the  Sabbath  of  the 
Lord  thy  God."  That  man  will  not  be  held  guiltless 
who  misinterprets  and  misrepresents  it,  for  however  pious 
a  purpose  he  may  do  so. 

3.  It  is  contrary  to  the  teachings  of  the  very  men 
who  give  this  exposition ;  for  they  affirm,  that  the  fourth 
commandment  required  the  keeping  of  the  seventh  day 
until  Christ  came.  Now,  if  the  Jews  before  Christ, 
were  bound  to  keep  a  certain  and  definite  day,  and  that 
the  seventh  day,  then  the  commandment  required  a 
certain  and  definite  day,  and  that  the  seventh  day. 

From  these  considerations  it  is  evident,  that  those  who 
represent  the  fourth  commandment  as  requiring  the  ob- 
servance of  only  a  Sabbath,  and  that  upon  some  one  day  of 
the  seven  indefinitely,  are  gnilty  of  a  false  exposition  oi 
the  commandment,  and  of  handling  the  word  of  God  de- 
ceitfully. They  make  a  plain  passage  of  Scripture  to 
signify  one  thing  for  some  thousands  of  years,  and  then 
ever  afterwards  to  signify  another  thing.  Thus  do  they 
make  void  the  commandment  of  God,  that  they  nray 
keep  their  own  traditions. 

Now  let  us  turn  to  a  consideration  of  some  of  the 
consequences  of  this  kind  of  exposition.  Among  these 
we  will  mention  only  three. 

I  It  overturns  all  certainty  in  explaining  the  Scrip- 
tures. If  a  man.,  in  translating  from  a  Latin  or  Greek 
author,  should  pervert  his  author's  meaning  in  this  man- 
ner, by  using  words  in  a  different  sense  from  that  in 
which  they  were  intended,  he  would  be  cast  out  and 
despised.  But  yet  when  a  preacher  represents  the  term 
the  Sabbath  as  meaning  simply  a  rest,  that  so  he  may 
call  the  first  day  of  the  week  a  rest,  and  therefore  the 


FALSE   EXPOSITION   AND   ITS   CONSEQUENCES.  ii 

Sabbath,  he  deals  worse  with  the  Scriptures  than  the 
translator  just  mentioned  does  with  his  profane  author 
Instead,  however,  of  being  cast  out  and  despised,  his 
speculations  are  allowed  to  go  for  truth.  Thus  unbe- 
lievers are  encouraged  in  their  infidelity;  and  occasion 
IS  given  for  them  to  say,  that  the  Bible  is  interpreted  by 
its  friends  to  mean  just  what  they  please  to  have  it.  It 
is  dangerous  for  men  to  use  their  wits  thus  to  blind  the 
eyes  of  their  fellows. 

2.  It  abolishes  the  Lord's  Sabbath,  and  makes  the 
Fourth  Commandment  to  be  a  mere  cipher.  First,  it 
abolishes  the  Lord's  Sabbath,  because  it  teaches  that 
the  observance  of  the  seventh  day,  on  which  God  rested 
and  which  he  introduced  into  the  commandment  as  one 
with  the  Sabbath,  is  not  at  all  binding,  but  the  day  may 
be  spent  in  any  kind  of  labor.  Is  not  this  to  abolish 
the  Lord's  Sabbath  ?  Second,  it  makes  the  fourth  com- 
mandment a  cipher,  because  it  takes  away  the  time, 
which  is  the  seventh  day,  and  the  event  commemorated, 
which  is  God's  resting  from  his  creative  work.  Now 
read  the  commandment,  as  these  expounders  would 
have  it,  bereft  of  the  time  and  the  event  commemorated. 
It  then  commands  only  a  rest,  without  any  precept  or 
example  as  to  its  length  or  frequency.  One  person, 
therefore,  may  rest  one  hour  in  each  day ;  another  one 
day  in  a  month  ;  and  a  third  one  month  in  a  year  ;  and 
each  may  call  this  keeping  the  Sabbath.  Does  not  this 
make  the  fourth  commandment  a  mere  cipher  ? 

3.  It  abuses  God's  Word,  and  misleads  his  people. 
It  abuses  his  word  by  representing  that  the  Word 
teaches  what  it  does  not  teach,  and  that  it  fails  to  teach 
what  it  attempts  to  teach.  It  misleads  his  people,  on 
one  side,  by  pressing  the  fourth  commandment  to  sus- 
tain the  first  day  of  the  week,  which  it  says  nothing 
about,  thus  laying  a  yoke  upon  the  people,  requiring 
them  to  observe  a  day,  in  regard  to  which  they  will 
finally  be  asked.  Who  hath  required  this  at  your  hands  1 
On  the  other  side,  it  misleads  the  people,  bv  encoura- 


4  THE    FOURTH    COMMANDMENT,  ETC. 

ging  thera  to  neglect  a  day  which  God  hath  sanctlfted, 
and  commanded  them  to  keep  holy. 

Such  ave  some  of  the  consequences  of  this  false  ex- 
position of  the  fourth  commandment.  They  affect  both 
the  sabbatic  institution  itself,  and  those  whose  duty  »l  is 
to  remember  it.  It  is  true  that  the  persons  who  coun- 
tenance such  expositions  are  called  very  zealous  and 
godly  men  ;  but  this,  instead  of  bettering  the  case,  makes 
it  worse.  If  they  were  enemies  to  the  commandment, 
suoh  things  might  be  expected,  and  would  be  compara 
tively  unimportant ;  but  that  the  wound  should  be  in- 
flicted by  its  friends,  aggravates  the  evil.  There  is  oc- 
casion to  tremble  for  some  religious  teachers,  who 
profess  great  interest  in  the  Sabbath,  but  who  yet  refuse  to 
hear  the  truth  in  regard  to  it.  Some  such  there  are, 
who,  if  the  truth  be  presented  to  them,  instead  of  in- 
quiring if  these  things  are  so,  imitate  the  Jews  of  old 
who,  when  they  were  cut  to  the  heart,  gnashed  on  their 
reprover  with  their  teeth  ;  and  when  they  could  en- 
dure it  no  longer,  '^'  stoppped  their  ears,  and  ran 
upon  him  with  one  accord."  Such  would  do  well  to 
inquire  if  they  are  not  in  this  thing  teaching  error  for 
truth,  and  their  own  traditions  for  the  commandments 
of  God. 


Published  by  the  American  Sabbath  Tract  Society. 
No.  9  Spruce-street,  New- York. 


THE  [\«;.      Mj.j 

TRUE  SABBATH 

EMBRACED  AND  OBSERVED 


By  Eld.  SAMUEL  DAVISON, 

Macv  years  a  regular  15aptist  Minister;  now  Pastor  of  the  Seventh 
day  Baptist  Church  in  Shiloh,  New  Jersey. 


NEW-YORK: 

FIJBLISHED  BY  THE  AMER.  SABBATH  TRACT  SOCIETY 


INTRODUCTORY  OBSERVATIONS. 


Having  often  been  solicited  to  give  an  account 
of  my  conversion  from  the  observance  of  w^hat  is 
commonly  called  the  Lord's  Day,  or  Sunday,  to  the 
observance  of  the  ancient  Sabbath  of  Jehovah,  the 
seventh  day  of  the  week,  I  submit  this  brief  narra- 
tive to  public  notice,  not  so  much  for  the  justifica- 
tion of  my  present  practice,  as  in  the  hope  that  it 
may  be  the  means  of  leading  many  otlier  ChristiaD 
people  candidly  to  examine  this  subject,  which,  as 
it  appears  to  me,  is  very  essential  to  the  restoration 
of  primitive  Christianity.  The  narrative  derives 
its  importance,  not  from  the  person  of  the  naiTator, 
but  from  the  practical  exhibition  which  it  furnishes 
of  the  working  of  divine  truth  upon  the  mind. 


THE  TRUE  SABBATH  EMBRACED  AND  OBSERVED. 


EARLY  PREPOSSESSIONS. 


My  parents,  and  nearly  all  of  my  family  connec- 
tions, being  members  of  Baptist  churches,  or  at- 
tached to  that  denomination — and  I  having  been  a 
member  of  the  same  for  above  tweiiiy-five  years, 
and  more  than  half  that  time  an  accredited  minis- 
ter among  them — all  my  preferences  and  prepos- 
sessions w^ere  with  their  peculiarities  as  churches 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  If  there  was  one  char- 
acteristic doctrine  of  the  Baptists  which  I  esteemed 
above  another,  it  was  this :  "  We  believe  that  the 
Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  were 
given  by  the  inspiration  of  God,  and  are  a  perfect 
rule  of  faith  and  practice."  I  could  say  wdth  the 
Psalmist,  "My  heart  standeth  in  awe  of  thy  word; 
for  thou  hast  magnified  thy  word  above  all  thy 
name."  — 

MATURED  ATTACHMENTS. 

I  believed  firmly,  that  if  there  was  a  Christian 
people  upon  the  earth  who  had  kept  the  primitive 
faith  from  the  days  of  the  apostles,  and  had  never 
symbolized  with  the  errors  of  the  church  of  Rome 
in  her  idolatrous  and  adulterous  course,  that  people 
was  the  Baptist  denomination.  If  there  was  any 
thing  in  my  religious  privileges  in  which  I  gloried, 
it  was  in  thinking  that  I  had  never  been  deceived 
by  the  working  of  that  mystery  of  iniquity.  I  was 
sensible  that  the  Baptists  had  errors  among  them; 
but  I  regarded  them  as  the  errors  of  fallible  hu- 
man nature,  and  not  as  departures  from  the  consti- 
tutional doctrine  and  law  of  the  Holy  Scriptures — 


4  THE    TRUE    SABBATH 

some  of  them  superinduced  by  an  unwatchful  and 
familiar  intercourse  with  our  more  erroneous  Pedo- 
baptist  brethren,  and  hence  mediately,  though  not 
directly,  the  effect  of  that  great  apostacy  which  was 
predicted  as  to  come  and  deceive  all  nations.  Hold- 
ing these  sentiments,  I  was  ardently  and  conscien- 
tiously attached  to  that  denomination,  as  the  most 
scriptural  people  on  earth.  I  did  not  doubt  but 
that  I  should  remain  united  with  them  in  time,  in 
death,  and  in  eternal  life. 


REGARD  FOR  SCRIPTURAL  CHRISTIANITY. 

Notwithstanding  my  prepossessions  and  attach- 
ments, it  has  been  my  prevailing  desire,  from  the 
time  of  my  conversion,  to  be  a  Scriptural  Christian; 
and  since  I  became  a  teacher  of  others,  I  have  felt 
a  growing  sense  of  obligation  to  know  and  teach 
the  whole  counsel  of  God  aright.  The  words  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  to  his  disciples,  saying,  "Call 
no  man  master,"  "Call  no  man  father,"  have  for 
years  been  so  deeply  impressed  upon  my  heart,  that 
I  have  scrupulously  refused  to  call  myself  a  Fuller- 
ite,  a  Calviuist,  an  Armenian,  or  after  any  human 
name.  Although  I  have  my  preferences  in  reading 
and  approving  the  sentiments  of  great  and  good 
men,  the  Bible  alone  is  my  creed  book. 

FORMER  SABBATH  SENTIMENTS. 

My  former  Sabbath  sentiments  were  formed  ar. 
cording  to  the  Puritan  model.  While  a  child,  I 
learned  Sutcliff's  and  Watts'  Catechisms,  in  both 
of  which  it  is  taught,  that  the  ten  commandments 
are  a  rule  of  life  to  good  men;  and  traditionally  I 
was  taught,  that  the  Sabbath  was  changed  from 
the  seventh  to  the  first  day  of  the  week  in  honor 


EMBRACED    Ai\D    OBSERVED.  6 

3f  the  resurrection  of  Christ;  and  I  fully  believed 
this  was  coufirmed  by  the  various  references  to  the 
first  day  contained  in  the  New  Testament. 

DISTURBED  ABOUT  THE  SABBATH. 

I  was  first  disturbed  about  the  Sabbath  seven 
years  ago,  when  a  brother  sent  me  a  tract  upon  the 
subject,  called  the  Investigator.  I  read  it  with  con- 
siderable interest,  and  was  much  perplexed  in  at- 
tempting to  satisfy  myself  with  my  own  views,  as  I 
went  along  in  the  perusal  of  it.  I  wished  then, 
that  there  had  been  something  more  explicit  upon 
the  subject  of  the  change  of  the  day  than  what  I 
could  find  in  the  New  Testament.  Not  question- 
ing, however,  but  that  it  was  divinely  changed,  I 
quieted,  rather  than  satisfied,  my  mind  with  what  I 
supposed  to  be  abundant  apostolic  example;  and 
I  remarked,  that  if  our  Pedobaptist  brethren  could 
produce  from  the  Scriptures  as  clear  examples  of 
infant  baptism,  as  we  could  of  keeping  the  first  day 
of  the  week  for  a  Sabbath,  I  would  admit  its  valid- 
ity. Although  I  would  not  dare  to  say  so  now, 
then  it  sufficed  to  quiet  my  mind. 

I  had  no  farther  solicitude  upon  the  subject,  until 
about  midsummer  of  1843.  At  that  time,  as  sev- 
eral professors  of  religion  of  my  acquaintance  did 
not  regard  the  day  as  I  thought  the  Lord's  Day 
ought  to  be  regarded,  I  conculded  to  preach  a  ser- 
mon upon  the  subject,  and  commenced  preparing 
one.  I  had  then  recently  purchased  Neander's 
History  of  the  Christian  Religion  and  Church  dui- 
in^the  First  Three  Centuries.  I  read  this  book 
with  much  satisfaction,  as  the  work  of  an  able  and 
candid  historian,  who  takes  a  philosophical  view 
of  the  events  and  circumstances  of  society  which 
operated   to  give  character  to  those  early  ages  of 


S  THE    TRLK    SaHBATII 

church  history.     In  the  section  on  Christian  Woi 
ship  and  Festivals,  I  was  surprised  to  find  the  fol- 
lowing statement,  viz:  "Opposition  to  Judaism  in- 
troduced the  particular  festival  of  Sunday  very  early 

indeed  into  the   place   of   the  Sabbath The 

festival  of  Sunday,  like  all  other  festivals,  was  al- 
ways only  a  human  ordinance ;  and  it  was  far  from 
the  intentions  of  the  apostles  to  establish  a  divine 
command  in  this  respect — far  from  them,  and  from 
the  early  apostolic  church,  to  transfer  the  laws  of 
the  Sabbath  to  Sunday.  Perhaps  at  the  end  of  the 
second  century  a  false  application  of  this  kind  had 
begun  to  take  place;  for  men  appear  by  that  time 
to  have  considered  laboring  on  Sunday  as  a  sin." 
I  was  the  more  surprised  at  this  statement,  as  1 
found  Neander  was  not  a  Sabbath-keeper.  He 
takes  the  high-church  ground,  acknowledging  the 
right  of  the  so-called  apostolic  or  catholic  church 
to  alter  or  ordain  the  rites  of  Christian  worship; 
which  is.  indeed,  the  foundation  principle  of  all 
Papal,  Puseyite,  and  Pedobaptist  observances.  I 
saw  clearly  enough,  that  if  Neander  w^as  right,  I 
had  no  better  foundation  for  Sunday-keeping  than 
hierarchists  have  for  their  Easter,  Ascension,  and 
Christmas  Festivals,  which  I  had  always  rej)udiated; 
or  than  Pedobaptists  have  for  sprinkling  infants. 
I  therefore  determined  to  give  the  subject 

A  thorough  examination. 

I  commenced  with  human  authors,  and  read 
Fuller,  Buck,  Doddridge,  Paley,  Wilson,  Huui- 
phrey,  Nevins,  Kingsbury,  Phelps,  Whateley,  ihd 
others;  and  I  was  astonished  to  find  every  one  of 
them  admitting,  that  there  is  no  express  command, 
precept,  or  passage  of  Scripture,  to  authorize  the 
change  of  t'le  Sabbath  from  the  seventh  to  the  first 


EMBRACED    AND    OBSERVED.  7 

day  of  the  week.  They  all  attempt  to  support  the 
practice  by  inferences  and  analogical  reasonings 
from  particular  events.  Not  having  veneration 
laro-e  enou"-h  to  bow  to  their  great  names  and  acute 
reasonings,  I  was  landed  upon  a  lonely  shore,  with- 
out pilot  or  compass,  with  no  guide  but  the  truth- 
ful chart  of  Revelation.  As  I  had  often  vowed  in 
my  heart  to  the  Lord,  that  I  would  be  a  Bible 
Christian  so  far  as  I  could  discover  the  meaning 
of  the  divine  Word,  or  know  the  revealed  will 
of  God ;  and  had  more  than  once  told  my  Pedo- 
baptist  friends,  when  accused  of  sectarianism,  that 
I  would  leave  all  for  the  truth's  sake,  if  I  could 
discover  that  I  was  wi'ong;  I  was  greatly  perplex- 
ed, for  I  fonnd  a  great  fact — The  Sabbath  was 
changed.  The  greater  part  of  the  world,  the  most 
estimable  of  Christians,  do  keep  their  weekly  Sab- 
bath on  the  first  day!  Can  they  all  be  wrong]  I 
conversed  with  some,  and  found  them  more  incon- 
sistent in  their  reasons  than  the  authors  I  read. 
For  a  time,  to  sanction  the  change  of  the  Sabbath, 
I  took  what  may  properly  be  called  prelatical 
ground.  It  may  be  stated  as  follows,  viz :  "  The 
thing  exists;  and  in  the  New  Testament  we  find 
some  things  which  appear  to  us  so  like  it,  that  we 
conclude  this  and  they  are  identical;  though  we 
cannot  find  the  particulars  of  the  change.  And 
besides,  we  find  some  occurrences  mentioned  in  the 
New  Testament  i,vhich  seemingly  happened  in  ac- 
cordance with  it  and  which  afford  reasons  for  it, 
and  so  we  think  they  should  be  considered  satis- 
factory evidences  of  the  change  existing  at  the 
time."  But  my  confidence  in  this  fact  was  over- 
turned by  discovering  another  great  fact,  viz  :  Th^t 
the  first  day  was  not  honored  as  a  Sabbath  during 
the  first  two  centuries  of  the  Christian  era ;  and 
that  when  it  did  come  to  be  so  f)bserved,  it  was  not 


8  THE    TRUE    SABBATH 

on  the  considerations  that  are  now  alledged,  but  on 
what  appeared  to  me  a  wicked  reason — mere  spite 
to  the  Jews.     I  therefore  commenced  anew, 

A  THOROUGH    EXAMINATION  OF    THE    NEW  TESTAMENT 

But  the  more  attentively  I  read  it,  with  this 
object  in  view,  viz.  to  find  out  the  mind  of  Christ 
upon  the  sulyject  of  the  Sabbath,  the  more  plainly 
I  saw  that  it  was  against  me.  I  found  that  Christ 
and  his  apostles  enjoined  the  observance  of  the 
law  of  the  ten  commandments  as  holy,  just,  and  good 
— that  law  which  says,  "Remember  the   Sabbath 

day  to  keep  it  holy, the  seventh  day  is  the 

Sabbath  of  the  Lord  thy  God."  I  found,  also,  that 
Christ  had  said,  (Mark  2 :  27,  28,)  "  The  Sabbath 
was  made  for  man ;  therefore  the  Son  of  Man  is 
Lord  also  of  the  Sabbath  day" — plainly  incorporat- 
ing it  into  the  laws  of  his  kingdom.  Luke  also  says, 
many  years  after  the  resurrection,  writing  the  ac- 
count in  his  Gospel  of  that  event,  *'  The  women 
rested  the  Sabbath  day  according  to  the  command- 
ment"— thus  recognizing  it,  as  it  appeared  to  me, 
to  be  a  commandment  still  in  force. 

THE  RESURRECTION  OF  CHRIST. 

The  Resurrection  of  Christ  being  regarded  as 
the  great  event  which  required  the  change  in  ques- 
tion, I  carefully  considered  that  matter.  But  I  no 
where  found  it  spoken  of  by  the  New  Testament 
writers,  as  it  is  by  divines  of  modern  times.  The 
only  instance  I  could  find  of  its  celebration  by  the 
apostles,  was  in  the  ordinance  of  baptism,  in  these 
words,  "  If  we  have  been  planted  together  in  the 
likeness  of  his  death,  we  shall  be  also  in  the  like- 
ness of  his  resurrection."  (Rom.  6:  5.)  And  again, 
"  What  shall  they  do  which   are   baptized  for  th« 


EMHRACED    AND   OBSERVED. 


[resurrection  of  the]  dead,  if  the  dead  rise  not  at 
all!"  (1  Cor.  15:  29.)  I  concluded  that  there  could 
not  be  two  apostolic  ways  of  celebrating  it;  and 
hence  that  I  must  look  for  some  other  reason  to 
justify  the  change  in  question. 


THE  TIME  OF  THE  RESURRECTION  OF  CHRIST. 

I  had  always  supposed  that  our  Saviour  rose  oii 
the  morning  of  the  first  day  of  the  week, 'and  had 
no  doubt  about  finding  it  plainly  recorded  that  he 
did.  But  when  I  searched  for  it  in  the  evangelists, 
I  found  the  accounts  very  different  from  what  I  had 
supposed.  Matthew  28:  1,  reads,  "In  the  end  of 
the  Sabbath."  Mark  16:  1 — ''When  the  Sabbath 
was  passed."  Matthew — "As  it  began  to  dawn 
towards  the  first  day  of  the  week."  Mark — "Very 
early  in  the  morning,  the  first  day  of  the  week." 
Luke  24:  1 — "Very  early  in  the  morning."  John 
20:  1 — "Early,  when  it  was  yet  dark,  ....  they 
came  to  the  sepulchre,  and  found  not  the  body 
of  the  Lord  Jesus."  As  this  did  not  tell  the  exact 
time  of  his  resurrection,  I  set  myself  to  see  if  I 
could  find  it  by  any  other  passages.  On  examina- 
tion, it  appeared  plain  to  me,  that  as  he  was  buried 
at  sun-down,  according  to  that  law  in  Deut.  21 :  23, 
to  fulfill  his  own  prediction,  "  So  shall  the  Son  of 
man  be  three  days  and  three  nights  in  the  heart 
of  the  earth,"  his  resurrection  must  have  ttken 
place  at  the  same  hour  of  the  day,  or  rather  eve- 
ning— which  would  destroy  its  identity  with  the 
first  day  as  now  reckoned,  and  carry  back  his 
crucifixion  to  the  fourth  day  of  the  week. 

All  we  know  of  the  time  of  the  crucifixion,  I 
found  to  be,  that  it  was  on  the  fourteenth  day  of  the 
first  month,  the  preparation  day  of  the  Passover 


10  THE    TRUE    SABBATH 

The  fifteenth  day  was  the  Passover  Sabbath,  a  high 
day  with  the  Jews.  (See  John  19:   14,  31.) 

If  Jesus  was  thus  crucified  on  the  fourth  day 
of  the  week,  I  found  that  it  made  a  striking  cor- 
respondence between  the  event  and  the  prediction 
in  Daniel  9  :  7. 

The  reason  why  the  Holy  Spirit  was  poured  oul 
on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  I  found  to  be,  because 
it  was  the  first  annual  national  assembly  after  the 
crucifixion — the  Saviour  being  put  to  death  at  the 
Passover,  and  Pentecost  being  fifty  days  after. 
This  event,  therefore,  had  nothing  to  do  with  the 
Sabbath. 

Christ's  appearances. 

The  appearances  of  Christ  to  his  disciples  on  the 
first  day  of  the  week,  are  considered  as  good  rea- 
sons for  sanctifying  that  day.  It  is  supposed  that 
he  so  designed  them.  But  these  did  not  appear  to 
^e  as  I  expected,  when  I  came  to  examine  them 
carefully.  I  knew  them  as  related  by  the  evangel- 
ists, but  I  had  them  traditionally  arranged  and  as- 
sociated to  suit  the  arguments  for  keeping  the  first 
day;  and  when  I  came  to  read  them  with  an  honest 
inquiry  after  the  truth,  they  apj)eared  very  differ- 
ent from  what  I  had  supposed.  I  found  that  there 
were  five  appearances  of  Christ  to  his  disciples  on 
the  first  day  following  his  resurrection;  and  neither 
of  them  occurred  when  the  disciples  were  assem- 
bled for  worship ;  neither  were  they  accompanied 
by  any  such  direction. 

His  first  appearance  was  to  the  four  women,  as 
they  returned  from  the  sepulchre,  where  they  had 
been  with  spices  to  embalm  the  body  of  Jesus. 
They  were  directed  by  an  angel,  and  by  Jesus 
himself,  to  go  and  tell  his  disciples  th?t  Cb-r^s^f  ^.'^a 


EMURACED    AND    OBSERVED.  11 

risen,  and  would  meet  tliem  on  a  mountain  in  Gali- 
lee as  he  had  promised  them  before  his  crucifixion. 
There  was  nothing  in  this  like  Sabbath-keeping ! 

The  women  having  gone  into  the  city,  informed 
Peter  and  John,  who  went  immediately  to  the 
sepulchre ;  and  having  looked  in  and  satisfied  them- 
selves that  the  report  of  the  women  was  true,  Peter 
and  John  returned  to  the  city.  But  Mary  taiTied 
still  at  the  sepulchre,  weeping,  when  Tesui>  appear- 
ed to  her  alone.  (John  20  :   16.)  ^ 

Next  he  appeared  to  Peter.  (Luke  24:  34, 
1  Cor.  15:  5.) 

Afterward  he  appeared  to  Cleopas  and  an- 
other disciple  as  they  journied  to  Emmaus.  (Luke 
24:  13—35.) 

At  night,  when  they  had  retired  for  their  evening 
repast,  Jesus  aj^peared  in  the  midst  of  them,  and 
partook  with  them  of  a  piece  of  broiled  fish  and  an 
Fioney  comb.  (Luke  24  :  42.) 

These  were  all  on  the  first  day  of  the  week,  and 
they  appeared  to  me  conclusive  evidence,  that  the 
disciples  had  not  yet  received  any  intimations  of  a 
change  of  Sabbath  time,  there  being  no  evidence 
of  it  in  their  conduct  or  discourse. 

Eight  days  after  this,  Jesus  appeared  again  to  his 
disciples,  Thomas  being  with  them.  (John  20 :  26.) 
After  these  things,  he  shewed  himself  again  to 
seven  of  his  disciples  as  they  were  fishing  at  the 
sea  of  Tiberius.  (John  21 :  1 — 14.) 

At  another  time,  probably  on  the  mountain  in 
Galilee,  he  was  seen  of  five  hundred  brethren  at 
once.  (1  Cor.  15:  6.) 

After  this,  he  was  seen  of  James.  (1  Cor.  15:  7.) 

Then  of  the  disciples  when  he  was  taken  up  into 
heaven.  (Luke  24:  50,51.) 

Last  of  all,  he  was  seen  by  Saul  of  Tarsus  on  his 
way  to  Damascus.  (1  Cor.  15:  8.) 


12  THE    TRUE    SABBATH 

There  are  eleven  instances  mentioned  of  his 
meeting  his  disciples,  and  not  one  of  them  contains 
a  single  reference  to  the  Sabbath  in  any  way  what- 
ever, which  fully  convinced  me  that  the  pretence 
of  the  Sabbath  being  changed  at  the  resurrection 
of  Christ  was  wholly  groundless.  How  any  one, 
without  very  strong  prepossessions  and  blindness, 
could  think  these  things  make  a  Sabbath,  I  could 
not  see.  Only  five  of  these  instances  are  said  to  be 
on  the  first  day,  and  these  were  all  private  inter- 
views! *Saul  of  Tarsus  might  as  well  conclude 
that  he  ought  to  build  a  meeting-house  where  Jesus 
met  him,  as  for  the  disciples  to  make  a  Sabbath  of 
the  first  day  because  Jesus  appeared  to  them  on 
that  day.  After  examining  these  things,  it  looked 
to  me  as  though  the  Papists  were  quite  as  justifiable 
for  changing  the  second  commandment  to  make  an 
image  of  Christ  and  his  cross,  as  Protestants  are 
for  altering  the  fourth  commandment  to  honor  the 
resurrection.  The  Papists  honor  the  crucifixion, 
and  the  Protestants  the  resurrection. 

APOSTOLIC  EXAMPLES. 

I  looked  for  apostolic  examples.  But  alas,  they 
all  failed  me.  They  did  not  afford  me  the  evi- 
dences I  had  supposed  they  would.  I  f^und  but 
one  account  of  a  Christian  assembly  on  the  first 
day  of  the  week,  which  was  at  Troas ;  and  that 
was  an  evening  meeting,  and  a  parting  meeting 
which  Paul  held  with  his  friends;  and  while  he 
was  holding  that  meeting,  seven  of  his  companions 
in  travel  went  and  removed  the  ship  in  which  they 
were  to  sail  from  Troas  to  Assos,  whither  he  fol- 
lowed them  on  foot  to  go  aboard.  I  thought.  Could 
they  be  keeping  Sabbath  in  so  doin":?  (See  Acts 
20:  l—H.) 


KMHRAOED  AND  OBSERVED.  13 

"  The  Lord's  Day,'"  I  found  mentioned  but  once 
in  the  New  Testament,  (Rev.  1:  10,)  and  there 
it  does  not  tell  what  day  of  the  week  it  was  on, 
so  that  I  judged  it  certainly  must  favor  that  day 
for  which  there  is  both  Bible  command  and  ex- 
ample, rather  than  that  day  for  which  there  is  no- 
thing but  custom  and  tradition.  Thus  it  appeared 
to  me,  that  all  apostolic  example  av;:  not  only 
against  the  observance  of  the  first  day,  lut  clearly 
in  favor  of  the  seventh;  for  I  found  that  at  Antioch 
in  Pisidia,  the  Apostle  observed  the  Sabbath  with 
both  Jews  and  Gentiles.  (Acts  13:  14,  42,  44.) 
The  same  at  Philippi.  (Acts  16:  13.)  And  at 
Thessalonica.  (Acts  17 :  2,  3.)  Also  at  Corinth, 
where  the  Apostle  continued  a  year  and  six  months, 
he  observed  every  Sabbath  day.    (Acts  18:   4,  11.) 

The  law  of  God,  with  all  its  awful  sanctions, 
flaming  from  Mount  Sinai,  appeared  to  me  to 
threaten  my  destruction  if  I  dared  to  reject  any 
part  of  its  holy  claims,  for  when  I  read  what 
Jesus  said,  (Luke  16:  17,)  "It  is  easier  for 
heaven  and  earth  to  pass  than  for  one  tittle  of  the 
law  to  fail,"  I  could  not  entertain  a  doubt  but 
that  it  was  obligatory  upon  his  disciples. 

THE  DECISION. 

These  things  greatly  distressed  me,  and  in  the 
end  separated  me  from  Sunday-keeping  forever. 
At  this  time  I  was  not  acquainted  with  a  single 
seventh-day  Christian.  But  a  bookseller  sent  me 
some  copies  of  the  "Address  of  the  Seventh-day 
Baptists  to  the  Baptists  of  the  United  States," 
which  was  peculiarly  opportune  to  my  state  of 
mind.  It  showed  me  the  inconsistency  of  Sunday- 
keeping  with  all  the  foundation  principles  of  the 


14  THE    TRUE    SABUATII 

faith  I  had  received,  and  the  order  I  had  observed; 
and  served  to  bring  me  to  a  decision.  Yet  I  did 
not  dare  to  submit  my  mind  at  once  to  the  force 
of  truth,  until  I  had  repeatedly  investigated  every 
Scripture  passage  and  event  on  w^hich  I  had  former- 
ly relied  for  a  justification  of  my  faith.  I  endeav- 
ored to  do  this  as  independently  of  extrinsic  con- 
siderations as  I  could;  and  each  time  brought  me 
to  the  same  conclusion.  I  could  find  no  Scripture 
authority  for  a  first-day  Sabbath.  Yet  the  conflict 
w^as  not  over,  I  suffered  for  some  time  that  deep 
mental  anguish  w^hich  attends  a  conscientious  mind, 
where  enlightened  judgment  conflicts  with  all  the 
inclinations,  expectations,  and  kindliest  associations 
of  life.  If  ever  an  anxious  mariner  sailed  trem- 
blingly between  Sylla  and  Charybdis,  surely  his 
condition  was  like  mine  at  this  time.  To  advocate 
the  Sunday  observance  without  Bible  authority,  I 
could  not  for  conscience's  sake.  To  embrace  the 
no-Sabbath  doctrine,  I  dared  not;  this  was  too  dark 
and  downward  a  leap  from  the  highway  of  holiness 
for  me  to  hazard;  and  the  former  was  too  disloyal 
and  dishonest  a  course  for  me  to  pursue  in  the 
name  of  the  King  of  saints.  For  a  time  I  indulged 
a  forlorn  hope,  that  I  might  find  some  way  of  re- 
conciling the  matter  so  as  to  appear  consistent 
without  leaving  the  denomination.  But  accustom- 
ed to  speak  the  honest  sentiments  of  my  heart,  I 
found  the  subject  naturally  influencing  my  prayers 
and  my  preaching,  and  in  other  ways  embarrassing 
me,  so  that  it  became  a  burden  I  knew  not  how  to 
bear.  I  commenced  keeping  the  Sabbath  alone  in 
my  study.  It  seemed  now  as  if  Gcd  had  shut  me 
up  to  my  own  vows ;  I  u-as  compelled  to  renounce  all 
for  his  truth,  or  prove  apostate  to  the  principles  of 
godliness!  Dark  indeed  appeared  my  prospects. 
I  had  a  wife  and  eight  children  to  support,  and  no 


EMrmACED    AND    OIISERVED.  15 

human  resource  to  look  to  but  my  salary.  1  felt, 
too,  for  the  reputation,  sentiments,  and  preposses- 
sions of  my  wife  and  children,  some  of  whom  had 
already  made  a  profession  of  religion,  and  for  many 
other  young  converts  recently  gathered  into  the 
church  of  which  I  was  pastor.  But  just  at  that 
time,  I  was  called  to  baptize  a  young  woman  who 
had  to  leave  father  and  mother,  and  brothers  and 
sisters,  and  all  she  had  on  earth,  for  her  faith  in 
Christ.  This  greatly  assisted  me  to  determine  to 
do  so  too. 

The  decision  gave  great  relief  to  my  mind.  I 
could  now  with  more  confidence  appeal  to  our 
Father  in  heaven  for  support  and  direction.  I 
could  with  great  comfort  appropriate  many  pre- 
cious promises  of  God's  Word  to  my  owti  case, 
and  find  them  a  precious  cordial  to  my  soul. 
Never  have  I  found  more  enjoyment  in  divine 
things  than  since  I  thus  renounced  all  for  Christ. 
I  found  as  the  Psalmist  expresses  it,  that  "great 
peace  have  they  that  love  thy  law,  and  nothing 
shall  offend  them."  "O  taste  and  see  that  the 
Lord  is  good ;  blessed  is  the  man  that  trusteth  in 
^im."  — 

CONCLUSION. 

The  result  has  been  happy  in  my  own  family. 
All  in  my  house  who  have  come  to  years  of  dis- 
cretion have  since  united  in  walking  according  to 
the  commandments.  Although  it  was  not  easy  at 
first  to  throw  off"  early  prepossessions,  we  have 
found  no  embarrassments  from  them  since  the  de- 
cision was  made.  Many  things  which  we  feared 
have  proved  imaginary,  and  all  necessary  good  has 
been  added  unto  us;  and  the  truth  of  God  has 
more  abounded  toward  us.  Thus  will  it  be  with 
all  them  that  obey  God.     "All  his  commandments 


16     THE  TRUE  SABBATH  EMBRACED  AND  OBSERVED. 

are  sure."  "No  good  thing  will  lie  withhold  from 
him  that  walketh  uprightly."  Its  influence  upon 
my  religious  feelings,  and  views  of  divine  truth  in 
general,  has  been  to  clear  up  some  things  that  were 
previously  obscure,  and  give  a  beautiful  harmony 
to  the  requirements  of  the  law  and  the  doctrines 
of  the  Gospel.  My  hope  is,  when  Babyl j)n  shall 
fall,  to  be  found  among  them  who  keep  the  com- 
mandments of  God  and  the  faith  of  Jesus.  (Rev. 
14.   12.) 


TAKING  UP   THE  CROSS, 

BY  JOSEPH  STENNETT. 

Jesus,  I  my  cross  have  talcen, 
All  to  leave  aud  foUow^  thee; 

Naked,  poor,  despised,  Ibrsalcen, 
Thou  from  hence  ray  all  shalt  be. 

Let  the  world  neglect  and  leave  me; 

They  have  left  my  Saviour  too; 
Human  hopes  have  oft  deceived  me; 

Thou  art  faithful,  thou  art  true. 

Perish,  earthly  fame  and  treasure; 

Come  disaster,  scorn,  and  pain; 
In  thy  service,  pain  is  pleasure; 

With  thy  favor,  death  is  gaiu. 

Oh !  'tis  not  in  gi-ief  to  hann  me. 
While  thy  bleeding  love  I  see; 

Oh!  'tis  not  in  joy  to  charm  me. 
When  that  love  is  hid  from  me. 


Published  by  the  American  Sabbath  Tract  Society, 
No.  9  Spmce  Street.  N.  Y. 


No.  11. 

RellgiouH  Liberty   P^iidan;;c'rL><l    by    lie^i^tlativc    Enoctmenta. 


AN  APPEAL 


Tn    iH?. 


FRIENDS  OF  EfiUAL  RIGnTS  AND  RELIGIOUS  FREEDOM, 


UNITED    STATES 


SEVENTH-DAY  BAPTIST  GENERAL  CONFERENCB. 


D  c  c  c  X  [,  V  ) . 


NEW- YORK : 

PUBLISHED  BY  THE  AMER.  SABBATH  TRACT  SOCIBTY. 

No.  9  Spnice-Stn'ftt 

E.    G.    CHAMI'I.IN.     STKHKOIYI'KR    AND     PRINTER. 


I^P"  The  Seventh-day  Baptist  General  Confeienco 
held  its  Forty-second  Anniversary  at  Shiloh,  N  ^  , 
on  the  9th.  10th.  11th,  and  13th  days  of  September, 
1S46.  During  the  session  a  resolution  was  passed 
expressing  the  settled  conviction  of  the  Conference, 
"  that  all  legislation  designed  to  enforce  the  reli- 
gious observance  of  any  day  for  a  Sabbath,  thereby 
determining  by  civil  law  that  such  day  shall  not  be 
used  for  labor  or  judicial  purposes,  is  unconstitu 
tional,  and  hostile  to  religious  freedom."  A  Com- 
mittee was  appointed  to  prepare  an  Address  to  the 
people  of  the  United  States  in  accordance  with  the 
opinion  thus  expressed.  The  following  is  the  Ad- 
dress reported  by  the  Committee,  approved  by  the 
Conference,  and  referred  to  the  American  Sabbath 
Tract  Society  for  publication. 


THE    APPEAL 


Fellow-Citizens  : — 

We  fully  agree  with  you  in  the  popular  senti- 
ment of  our  nation,  that  liberty  is  sweet — to  men 
of  noble  minds,  much  more  precious  than  estates, 
or  treasures  of  silver  and  gold — dearer  than  our 
rejjutation  and  honor  among  the  despots  of  the 
world.  Was  it  uat  this  sentiment,  firmly-rooted  in 
the  minds  of  the  Fathers  of  our  National  Independ- 
ence, which  led  them  to  stake  their  "lives,  their 
fortunes,  and  their  sacred  honor,"  rather  than  be 
the  serfs  of  a  British  King  anxl  his  aristocratic  Lords  ] 
Applauding  their  spirit,  we  know  that  you  will 
agree  with  us  in  the  sentiment,  that  the  preserva- 
tion of  that  liberty  which  they  achieved  and  per- 
petuated in  our  ever-glorious  Constitution,  is  the 
highest  civil  duty  which  we  owe  to  ourselves,  to  our 
posterity,  and  to  our  nation.  All  but  coercionists 
will  agree  with  us,  that  the  preservation  of  our  reli- 
gious liberty  is  a  sacred  duty,  which  we  owe  alike  to 
the  cause  of  truth   and   our  political   liappiness. 

Give  us  your  candid  attention,  then,  while  we 
present  a  brief  statement  of  the  wrongs  we  are 
suffering  in  these  United  States,  despite  the  princi- 
ples of  the  National  Declaration  of  Independence, 
and  the  guarantees  of  our  National  Constitution. 


4  AN  APPEAL  TO  THE  FRTENDS  OF 

Believing  in  the  integrity  of  tlie  provisional  Gov- 
ernment wliicli  made  the  Declaration  of*  Independ- 
ence, our  fathers  and  predecessors  in  faith,  fought 
side  by  side  with  yours  foi-  the  liberty  which  that 
instrument  declares  to  be  the  inalienable  right 
of  all  men.  They  were  equally  zealous  parties  to 
he  adoption  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States — that  Constitution  which  says  there  shall 
be  "no  law  respecting  an  establishment  of  religion, 
or  prohibiting  the  free  exercise  thereof;"  **and  the 
judges  in  every  State  shall  be  bound  thereby,  any 
thing  in  the  constitution  or  laws  of  any  State  to 
the  contrary  notwithstanding."  Although  our  breth- 
ren at  Ephrata,  in  Pennsylvania,  regarded  warfare 
and  the  shedding  of  blood  as  inconsistent  with  the 
Christian  profession,  yet  they  were  no  less  ardent 
admirers  of  those  national  instruments  by  which 
American  liberties  wei'e  asserted  and  established. 
Of  this  they  gave  ample  proof,  in  the  unwavering 
support  which  they  ever  voluntarily  rendered  to  the 
National  Government  and  its  troops,  by  all  the 
peaceable  means  at  their  command.  History  re- 
cords an  act  of  patriotism  and  piety,  which  reflects 
everlasting  hcmor  on  their  names.  They  volunta- 
rily and  compassionately  received,  at  their  estab- 
lishment, between  four  and  five  hundred  wounded 
Americans  who  had  fallen  in  the  battle  of  Brandy- 
wine,  fed  them  from  their  own  stores,  and  nursed 
them  with  their  own  hands,  for  which  they  never 
received  nor  asked  a  recompense  of  the  American 
Government  or  people.  It  was  enough  for  them, 
that  they  were  their  fellow  men.  But  it  stirred 
their  hearts  the  deeper,  that  they  knew  they  were 
bleeding  in  the  cause  of  sacred  liberty. 

We  are  the  descendants  and  successors  in  faith 
of  these  parties.  We  hold  the  same  sentiments, 
and  cherish  the  same  principles,  which  they  did  at 


EQUAL  niGIlTS  AND  RELIGIOUS  FREEDOM.  O 

that  time.  Is  it  not  surprising,  tlien,  that  within 
seventy  years  after  the  signing  of  that  Declaration, 
and  ill  little  more  than  half  a  century  after  the 
adoption  of  the  Cons'titution,  the  lineal  descendants 
of  tiiese  parties,  and  their  successors  in  faith  and 
principles,  should  have  their  liberties  so  abridged 
by  state  authoiities,  as  to  give  occasion  for  an  ap- 
peal to  the  citizens  of  the  w^hole  nation,  from 
vrhom  the  sovereign  power  emanates,  for  a  redress 
of  their  wrongs?  But  so  it  is.  Religious  zealots, 
in  our  State  Legislatures  and  on  the  Judicial  Bench, 
have  violated  the  Constitution  of  the  nation,  estab- 
lished an  article  of  their  relio^ious  creed,  and  made 
t  penal  for  others  of  different  sentiments  to  follow 
mt  their  own  honest  convictions  of  duty  to  God. 
The  conse(]uence  is,  that  eight  of  our  brethren  are 
at  this  moment  under  judicial  sentence  for  their  re- 
ligious sentiments,  and  condemned  to  pay  four  dol- 
lars each,  with  costs  of  prosecution,  or  suffer  im- 
prisonment in  the  common  jail.  It  is  not  pretended 
that  they  have  injured  the  persons,  or  wronged  the 
estates  or  interests  of  any  of  their  fellow-citizens. 
Neither  is  it  pretended  that  they  are  lewd  or  in- 
temperate persons,  or  profaners  of  churches.  The 
only  pretence  is,  that  they  have  injured  the  reli- 
gious feelings  of  some  others  by  peaceably  work- 
ing upon  their  own  farms  on  the  first  day  of  the 
week,  in  obedience  to  the  dictates  of  their  own  c(m- 
5ciences  and  the  law  of  God.  And  this  is  the  second 
time,  within  the  space  of  one  year,  that  the  perse- 
cution of  these  otherwise  unoffending  men,  has 
been  approved  by  the  courts  of  Pennsylvania.  In 
four  other  States  of  the  Union,  in  defiance  of  the 
National  Constitution,  our  fellow-citizens  have 
sufi'ered  prosecutions,  fines,  and  imprisonment, 
within  the  past  year,  upon  similar  charges.  Be- 
side this,  in  the  States  where  toleration  is  provided 


6  AN  APPEAL  TO  THE  FRIENDS  OP 

for  labor  on  our  own  farms  and  in  our  own  work 
shops  on  the  first  day  of  the  week,  all  contracts, 
legal  and  commercial  transactions,  if  done  even 
among  ourselves,  are  declared  hull  and  void  by  the 
State  Statutes,  So  that,  even  in  these  States,  we 
are  deprived  of  our  constitutional  and  inalienable 
right  to  use  one-sixth  part  of  our  time  for  com- 
mercial, legal,  and  judicial  transactions ;  and  then 
are  tied  up  to  our  own  premises,  as  though  we  were 
as  dangerous  to  the  religious  interests  of  our  fellow- 
citizens,  as  rabid  animals  are  to  their  persons. 

Applications  were  made  to  three  State  Legisla 
tures  during  the  winter  of  1845-6,  for  relief  from 
these  odious  statutes.  But  those  applications  were 
all  repulsed  with  supercilious  denials.  Forbear- 
ance is  no  longer  a  virtue.  A  succession  of  abuses 
and  usurpations  of  our  rights,  has  compelled  us 
to  take  measures  to  resist,  with  all  the  legal  means 
in  our  power,  and  with  all  that  we  can  honorably 
acquire,  whatever  laws  abridge  the  rights  or  coerce 
the  consciences  of  ourselves  or  our  fellow-citizens 
on  religious  or  sectarian  considerations.  Appeal- 
ing to  Jehovah  and  his  holy  law  for  the  rectitude 
of  our  principles  and  the  righteousness  of  our 
cause,  we  have  implored,  and  shall  continue  to  im- 
plore, the  interposition  of  his  Providence  to  succeed 
our  efforts. 

Without  wishing  to  disturb  the  peace  of  society, 
or  wantonly  to  overturn  the  existing  order  of  things, 
but  actuated  solely  by  a  sense  of  duty  to  maintain 
the  integrity  of  God's  law,  and  preserve  unimpaired 
our  religious  privileges,  we  appeal  to  you,  fellow- 
citizens,  in  defence  of  the  justice  of  our  demands, 
by  a  fair  representation  of  our  Constitutional  Rights. 
The  sixth  article  of  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States,  section  2d,  says,  "  This  Constitution, 
and  the  laws  of  the  United  States  which  shall  be 


EQUAL  UI(;iITS  AND  RELIGIOUS  FREEDOM.      7 

made    in  pursuance  thereof, shall   bo  tne 

supreme  law  of  the  land;  and  the  judges  in  every 
State  shall  be  bound  thereby,  any  thing  in  the  con- 
stitution or  laws  of  any  State  to  the  contrary  not- 
withstanding." 

Section  3d  says,  "The  members  of  the  several 
State  Legislatures,  and  all  executive  and  judicial 
officers,  both  of  the  United  States  and  of  the  sev- 
eral States,  shall  be  bound  by  oath  or  affirmation 
to  support  this  Constitution  ;  but  no  religious  test 
shall  ever  be  required  as  a  qualification  to  office  or 
public  trust   under  the   United    States." 

In  the  amendments  to  the  Constitution,  article 
1st,  it  is  written,  "Congress  shall  make  no  law 
respecting  an  establishment  of  religion,  or  prohibit- 
ing the  free  exercise  thereof." 

In  view  of  these  sections  of  the  fundamental 
law  of  the  nation,  what  can  be  more  palpably  un- 
constitutional than  those  State  statutes  which  are 
so  framed  as  to  declare  and  establish  the  first  day 
of  the  week  as  "the  Christian  Sabbath,"  or  holy 
day.  The  State  statutes  which  subject  any  citizen 
to  fine  or  imprisonment  for  labor,  or  any  legal  trans- 
action, on  the  first  day  of  the  week,  as  far  as  their 
influence  extends,  make  void  God's  everlasting 
law,  and  subject  the  conscientious  servant  thereof 
to  punishment  for  a  strict  conformity  to  it.  The 
State  statutes  violate  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States  in  two  respects,  1st.  They  violate  that  part 
of  the  Constitution  which  forbids  the  enactment 
of  any  "law  respecting  an  establishment  of  reli 
gion;"  because  by  them  the  religious  observance 
of  the  first  day  is  made  a  State  establishment  of  reli- 
gion as  really  and  arbitrarily  as  the  law  of  Con- 
stantine  made  it  a  part  of  the  religion  of  the  Ro- 
man Empire.  2d,  They  violate  that  part  of  the 
Constitution  which  forbids  the  making  of  any  law 


8  AN  APPEAL   TO   TJIK   I'llIEXDS   OF 

"prohibiting  the  free  exercise"  of  religion ;  because, 
by  forbidding  labor  on  the  first  day  of  the  week, 
they  prohibit  a  strict  conformity  to  the  law  of  God 
which  says,  "Six  days  shalt  thou  labor  and  do  all 
thy  work,  but  the  seventh  day  is  the  Sabbatli  of  the 
Lord  thy  God."  With  this  view  of  the  subject, 
we  submit  it  to  the  common-sense  of  candid  men 
to  say,  if  every  judicial  officer  who  convicts  or 
passes  sentence  upon  his  fellow-citizens  for  dis- 
obeying these  arbitrary  statutes  on  a  charge  of 
Sabbath-breaking, .  is  not  a  perjured  man.  He 
swears  or  affirms  to  "support  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States,  any  thing  in  the  Constitution  or 
laws  of  any  State  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding;" 
yet  he  administers  a  law  which  establishes  a  secta- 
rian article  of  religion,  and  punishes  conscientious 
men  for  a  free  exercise  of  their  own  religious  opin- 
ions, and  for  doing  what  they  esteem  to  be  their 
duty  to  God. 

Heretofore  we  have  asked  only  for  exemptions 
from  these  odious  statutes  for  all  such  as  observe 
the  seventh  day  of  the  week  as  the  Sabbath,  and  we 
have  generally  been  permitted  to  pass  peaceably 
along.  But  of  late  our  growing  numbers,  and  our 
increasing  influence  in  the  nation,  together  with 
the  use  of  the  public  press  in  defence  of  our  sen- 
timents, have  seemingly  made  us  too  odious  in  the 
eyes  of  some  of  our  fellow-citizens  to  be  suffer- 
ed peaceably  to  enjoy  our  rights.  Powerful  efforts 
are  being  made  to  inflame  the  public  mind  against 
us,  to  influence  the  magistracy  to  enforce  the  Sun- 
day laws  UQW  existing,  and  if  possible  to  procure 
the  enactment  of  others  more  stringent  and  re- 
strictive. These  things  have  thrown  us  unavoid- 
ably upon  our  constitutional  rights.  Experience 
teaches  us  that  our  peace  and  liberty  are  continual- 
ly jepordized  by  the  existence   of  statutes   which 


EQUAL    RKMITS   AM)    IIHI.KJIOL'S    FIll.KDDM.  9 

c*n  be  so  construed  as  to  coerce  us,  contrary  to 
our  consciences,  to  do  reverence  to  tlie  first  day  of 
the  vveeiv  as  a  holy  day.  We  therefore  demand  the 
entire  repeal  of  all  laws  for  coercing  the  observ- 
ance of  the  first  day,  as  being  contrary  to  the  spirit 
and  the  letter  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States. 

The  view  which  we  take  of  this  subject  is  not 
from  a  partial  construction  of  the  Constitution. 
That  instrument  has  been  so  construed  by  impar- 
tial and  competent  authority.  The  following  ex- 
tract from  a  letter  written  by  George  Wasuinoton, 
while  President  of  the  United  States,  and  who  was 
President  of  the  Convention  for  framing  the  Con- 
stitution, to  a  committee  of  a  Baptist  Society  in 
Virginia,  in  answer  to  an  application  to  him  for  his 
views  of  the  meaning  and  efficiency  of  that  instru- 
ment to  protect  the  rights  of  conscience,  decides 
the  intent  of  the  framers  of  the  Constitution,  and 
consequently  the  intent  of  the  Constitution  itself. 
The  letter  is  dated  AuGfust  4,  1789,  and  reads  as 
follows : — 

'•  If  I  had  the  least  idea  of  any  difficulty  resulting  from  the 
Constitution  adopted  by  the  Convention  of  which  I  had  ihe  honor 
to  be  President  when  it  was  ibrmed,  so  as  to  endanger  the 
rights  of  any  religious  denomination,  then  I  never  should  have  at- 
tached my  name  to  that  instrument.  If  I  had  any  idea  that  the 
General  Government  was  so  administered  that  liberty  of  con- 
science was  endangered,  I  pray  you  be  assur  mI  that  no  man 
would  be  more  willing  than  myself  to  revise  antl  alter  that  part 
of  it,  so  as  to  avoid  all  religious  persecution.  You  can,  without 
doubt,  remember  that  I  have  often  expressed  my  opinion,  that 
every  man  who  conducts  himself  as  a  good  citizen  is  accountable 
alone  to  God  for  his  religiuus  faith,  and  should  be  protected  hi 
worshiping  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  his  conscience. 

[Signed,]  'GEORGE  WASHINGTON."* 

*  This  letter  was  translated  into  the  Gennanat  Ephrata,  Peun., 
and  the  present  copy  of  the  letter  is  probably  a  re-translation  of 
it  into  Ea/:iish  from  the  German. 


10  AN  APPEAL   TO  THE  Fill  ENDS   OF 

The  Congressional  Committee  on  Post  Offices 
and  Post  Roads,  to  whom  were  referred  certain 
memorials  for  prohibiting  the  transportation  of 
mails  and  the  opening  r)f  post  offices  on  Sunday, 
in  the  43d  session  of  Congiess,  A.  D.  1830,  report- 
ed unfavorably  to  the  prayer  of  the  memorialists. 
Their  report  was  adopted  and  printed  by  order  ol 
the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  and  the  Committee 
was  discharged  from  the  farther  consideration  of  the 
subject.  That  Committee  take  the  same  view  of  the 
intent  of  the  Constitution  as  did  General  Washing- 
ton.    They  say : — 

"  We  look  in  vain  to  that  instmment  for  authority  to  say  whethe? 
first  day,  or  seventh  day,  or  whether  any  day,  has   been  mad© 

holy  by  the  Ahniirhty." "The  Constitution  regards  thb 

conscience  of  the'.Ievv  as  sacred  as  that  of  the  Christian;  and  give? 
no  more  authority  to  adopt  a  measure  atfecting  the  conscience  ol 
a  solitary  individual,  than  that  of  a  whole  community.  That  rep- 
resentative who  would  violate  this  principle,  would  lose  his  dele 
"ated  character,  and  forfeit  the  confidence  of  his  constituents 
If  Congress  shf)uld  declare  the  first  day  of  the  week  holy,  it 
would  not  convince  the  .Jew  nor  the  Sabbatarian.  It  would  dis- 
satisfy both,  and  consequently  convert  neither." "If  a 

solemn  act  of  legislation  shall  in  one  p  )int  define  the  law  of  God, 
or  point  out  to  the  citizen  one  religious  thity,  it  may  with  equal 
propriety  define  every  part  of  revelation,  and  enforce  eveiy  reli- 
gious obligation,  even  to  the  forms  and  ceremt)nies  of  worship, 
the  endowments  of  the  church,  and  the  support  of  the  •clergy." 

"The  framers  of  the  Constitution  recognized  the  eternal 

principle,  that  man's  relation  to  his  G(jd  is  above  human  legis- 
lation, and  his  rights  of  conscience  inalienable.  Reasoning  was 
not  necessary  to  establish  this  trutli;  we  are  conscious  of  it  in  our 
own  bosoms.  .  It  is  this  consciousness  which,  in  defiance  of  hu- 
man laws,  has  sustained  so  many  martyrs  in  tortures  and  flames. 
They  felt  that  their  duty  to  God  was  superior  to  human  enact- 
ments, and  that  man  could  exercise  no  authority  over  their  con- 
sciences. It  is  an  inborn  principle,  which  nothing  can  eradicate." 
.  ,  .  .  .  "  It  is  also  a  fact,  that  counter  memorials,  equally  respect- 
able, oppose  the  interference  of  Congress,  on  the  ground  that  it 
would  be  legislatuig  upon  a  religious  subject,  and  therefore  uncon* 
stitutional." 


EQUAL    UH;HTS  AND   RKI.IGFOUS   FIlKHDOiVI.  11 

Impartial  Jiuliciarics  have  taken  tlie  same  view 
of  these  provisions  of  the  Constitution,  and  have 
dechired  the  laws  enforcing  the  observance  of  the 
first  day  of  the  week  unconstitutional,  as  may  be 
Been  in  Judge  Herttell's  book,  "The  Rights  of  the 
People  Reclaimed;"  also  in  "An  Essay  on  Consti- 
tutional Reform,  by  Hiram  P.  Hastings,  Counselor 
at  Law." 

On  the  2d  of  October,  1799,  at  New  Mills,  Bur- 
lington County,  New  Jersey,  a  Seventh-day  Baptist 
being  indicted  before  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  for 
working  on  Sunday,  and  fined,  he  appealed.  At 
the  trial  in  Court,  the  foregoing  letter  from  General 
Washington  was  produced  by  the  Judge,  and  read 
in  his  charge  to  the  Jury.  The  result  wafe  acquittal 
by  the  Jury. 

In  the  year  1S45,  the  Court  of  Hamilton  County, 
Ohio,  made  a  similar  decision  in  a  like  case,  and  on 
similar  considerations. 

A  Committee  of  the  Common  Hall  of  the  City  of 
Richmond,  Vii'ginia,  to  whom  was  referred  the  case 
of  certain  persecuted  Jews,  have  made  a  like  de 
cision  on  the  munici^^al  laws  of  that  City,  which 
have  been  construed  to  enforce  keeping  the  first  day. 
Tlic  Post  Office  Laics  are  framed  in  accordance 
with  these  provisions  of  the  Constitution.  The  Act 
of  March  3d,  1825,  section  1st,  authorizes  the  Post- 
master to  "  provide  for  the  carriage  of  the  mail  on 
all  post  roads  that  are  or  may  be  established  by  law, 
and  as  often  as  he,  having  regard  to  the  productive- 
ness thereof,  and  other  circumstances,  shall  think 
proper."  Section  17th  provides,  "that  every  Post- 
master shall  keep  an  oflfice,  in  which  one  or  more 
persons  shall  attend  on  every  day  on  which  a  mail 
shall  arrive  by  land  or  water,  as  well  as  on  other 
days,  at  such  hours  as  the  Postmaster  General  shall 
direct,  for  the   purpose   of   performing  the   duties 


Is 


AN  APPEAL  TO  THE  FRIENDS  OF 


thereof;  and  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Postmaster, 
at  all  reasonable  hours,  on  every  day  of  the  week, 
to  deliver  on  demand  any  letter,  paper,  or  packet, 
to  the  person  entitled  to,  or  authorzed  to  receive 
the  same.  The  laws  against  labor  on  the  first  day, 
in  each  State  w^here  they  exist,  are  obliged  to  ex- 
cept the  mail-carriers  and  the  postmasters.  But  we 
ask  our  fellow-citizens  to  consider  by  w^hat  show 
of  justice,  any  local  tribunal  can  punish  a  private 
citizen  for  doing  that  on  his  own  account,  which  the 
servants  and  officers  of  the  United  States  are  doing 
at  the  same  time,  for  the  use  of  the  people,  and  by 
a  law  of  the  same  Government  1  Suppose  a  car- 
riage conveying  the  United  States  Mail,  should  en- 
ter the  City  of  Philadelphia  on  Sunday;  and  another 
carriage,  containing  goods  oi:  wares  for  the  next 
day's  market,  should  enter  at  the  same  time  and  by 
the  same  route  ;  with  what  show  of  justice  shall  the 
driver  of  the  market  carriage  be  put  under  arrest 
and  fined,  and  the  driver  of  the  mail  carriage  go 
free  1  Or  suppose  there  should  be  a  postmaster 
assorting  his  letters  on  the  first  day,  and  a  fellow- 
citizen  selling  pens,  ink,  paper,  and  wafers,  to  write 
the  same  letters,  in  another  part  of  the  same  build- 
ing ;  with  what  show  of  justice  shall  the  tradesman 
be  fined  and  the  postmaster  go  free  ]  The  officers 
of  the  United  States  Government  have  no  national 
rights  above  the  humblest  citizen.  The  transgres- 
sion of  law  by  them  is  as  really  a  crime  as  in  the 
case  of  any  other  citizen.  Our  Government  knows 
nothing  of  those  kingly  rights  which  set  emperors, 
monarchs,  and  their  servants,  above  law.  If,  there- 
fore, there  is  no  transgression  of  constitutional  law 
in  carrying  the  United  States  Mail  on  the  first  day, 
,hen  there  is  none  in  a  private  citizen  following  his 
>therwise  lawful  and  peaceable  occupation  on  the 
ame  day. 


EQUAL   RIGHTS   AND   RELHilOUS  FREEDOM.  13 

In  some  quarters,  during  the  last  year,  our  mo- 
tives and  designs  were  grossly  misrepresented  by 
prejudiced  persons,  in  our  legislatures  and  else- 
where. We  were  represented  as  "wishing  the  le- 
gislature to  change  the  Sabbath  from  the  first  to  the 
seventh  day  of  the  week ;"  and  were  accused  of 
"covertly  wishing  to  compel  our  fellow-citizens  to 
keep  our  Sabbath  day."  No  insinuation  could  be 
more  grossly  deceptive — no  accusation  more  flagi- 
tiously unjust  to  us  as  a  people.  We  declare  un- 
equivocally, that  we  do  not  desire  any  such  thing. 
We  believe  that  keeping  the  Sabbath  day  is  purely 
a  religious  duty.  All  we  ask  is,  that  our  State  Le- 
gislatures leave  the  matter  where  the  Constitution 
of  the  United  States  and  the  laws  of  the  General 
Government  have  placed  it.  They  have  no  more 
right  to  determine  this  religious  duty,  than  they 
have  to  determine  the  rites  of  Christian  worship. 
We  believe  our  fellow-citizens  ought  to  be  protect- 
ed in  the  peaceable  observation  of  their  day  of  reli- 
gious rest,  as  in  the  observance  of  every  other  reli- 
gious institution,  except  where  such  observance  is 
made  a  sanctuary  for  crime.  We  ask  the  same 
protection  for  ourselves  on  the  seventh  day  of  the 
week,  and  nothing  more. 

If  the  Constitution  may  be  infringed  upon  to  put 
down  the  observers  of  the  seventh  day,  no  one  can 
say  how  long  it  will  be  before  other  minor  denom- 
inations may  be  put  down  too.  Already  attempts 
are  making  to  exact  a  confession  of  faith,  unknown 
to  the  Constitution,  as  a  qualification  for  a  legal 
oath.  If  the  religious  sanctification  of  the  first  day 
of  the  week  may  be  enforced  by  statutory  require- 
ments, so  may  the  forms  and  hours  of  worship. 
He  who  says,  that  there  is  no  danger  of  the  latter 
being  enforced,  while  statutory  regulations  violate 
two  of  the  most  sacred  provisions  of  the  National 


14  AN  APPEAL  TO  THE  FRIENDS  OF 

Constitution,  knows  but  little  of  the  history  of  man- 
kind, or  pays  but  little  attention  to  the  tendencies 
of  human  nature.  A  single  standing  violation  of 
the  Constitution  is  an  example  and  an  authority  for 
others  to  follow.  One  religious  observance  estab- 
lished by  law,  is  the  admission  of  the  main  princi- 
ple of  national  hierarchy,  and  will  come  in  time  to 
be  referred  to  as  authority  for  similar  infractions 
of  the  Constitution.  The  laws  for  the  observance 
of  the  first  day  are  in  fact  a  union  of  Church  and 
State.  It  is  not  pretended  that  they  are  designed 
to  subserve  directly  a  political  or  civil  object.  It 
is  altogether  a  religious  object  which  they  subserve. 
It  becomes  every  friend  of  equal  rights,  as  he  loves 
the  Constitution  of  his  country,  to  oppose  these  in- 
fractions of  its  just  principles,  until  equal  liberty  is 
secured  to  all  citizens  by  statutoiy  provisions,  as  by 
tlie  fundamental  laws  of  the  nation. 

Our  opponents  often  remind  us  of  their  pretence, 
that  we  are  under  no  more  restrictions  than  other 
citizens;  we  may  do  as  we  please  about  keeping 
the  seventh  day.  To  this  we  reply,  that  the  tyrants 
of  the  Roman  people  deprived  the  Republic  of  its 
liberties  by  professing  themselves  the  guardians  of 
their  interests.  "By  declaring  themselves  the 
protectors  of  the  people,  Marius  and  Cassar  had 
subverted  the  Constitution  of  their  country."  Au- 
gustus established  a  despotism  by  artfully  affecting 
to  be  governed  himself  by  the  same  laws  which  he 
procured  to  be  enacted  to  take  away  the  rights 
of  the  people.  These  are  the  same  principles  upon 
which  religious  coercionists  conjure  us  to  be  quiet 
under  the  loss  of  our  constitutional  rights.  The 
progress  of  these  things  towards  despotism  is  as 
dangerous  in  the  American  Republic  as  in  that  of 
Rome,  and  may  be  as  rapid.  Their  success  would 
be  as  deadly  to  human   happiness,  and  all  the  best 


EQUAL   RIGHTS   AND  RELIGIOUS  FREEDOM.  If 

interests  of  mankind,  in  the  nineteenth  century,  as 
they  were  in  the  decline  and  fall  of  the  Roman 
Empire.  Human  nature  now  affords  no  better 
guaranty  for  the  safety  of  our  national  rights,  than 
it  did  to  the  Romans  at  the  summit  of  their  great- 
ness. Liberty  can  be  preserved  only  at  the  ex- 
pense of  perpetual  vigilance,  and  by  the  popular 
support  of  individual  rights.  If  ever  the  doctrine 
which  has  been  urged  before  one  of  our  legislative 
bodies,  "  The  greatest  good  of  the  greatest  num- 
ber," should  become  a  popular  political  axiom,  to 
justify  the  course  of  the  many  in  taking  away  the 
rights  of  the  few,  the  halls  of  legislation  will  be- 
come scaffolds  for  the  execution  of  liberty,  and 
that  odious  principle  will  be  the  shroud  in  which  it 
will  be  buried.  Despots  may  establish  a  round  of 
religious  observances,  and  exact  an  unwilling  and 
insincere  conformity  to  their  arbitrary  prescriptions; 
but  they  can  never  convince  the  understanding  nor 
win  the  heart  of  one  who  knows  the  voice  of  truth. 
They  can  only  make  him  a  slave,  while  the  effects 
of  their  arbitrary  prescri23tions  on  the  popular  mind 
will  be  to  wither  up  all  interest  in  the  religious 
tendencies  of  an  observance  sustained  only  by  the 
enactments  of  heartless  politicians.  All  that  makes 
religion  -fital  and  effective  for  its  own  holy  objects, 
expires  when  the  sword  is  drawn  to  enforce  it. 
Liberty,  humanity,  religion,  and  our  National  Con- 
stitution, then,  require  that  the  laws  enforcing  the 
observance  of  the  first  day  of  the  week  should  be 
repealed. 

As  American  Citizens,  as  independent  Freemen, 
and  as  responsible  Stewards  of  the  glorious  herit- 
age bequeathed  to  us  by  the  Fathers  3f  the  Revolu- 
tion, we  shall,  with  the  aid  of  the  Majesty  of 
Heaven,  maintain  unimpaired  the  high  privileges 
secured  to  us  by   the  Charter  of   our   Liberties, 


10   A\  .\i-)':Ai,  1  (,^  r!!i:  I'liir.xos  of  equal  rights. 

We  ask  for  no  exclusive  immunities.  We  dis 
claim  all  right  of  human  government  to  exercise 
over,  or  fetter  in  the  least,  the  religious  rights  of 
any  being.  Might  is  not  right,  neither  does  the  ac- 
cident of  being  a  majority  give  any,  claim  to  tram- 
ple on  the  rights  of  the  minority.  It  is  a  usurpa- 
tion of  authority  to  oppress  the  minority,  or  set  at 
naught  their  indefeasible  rights.  In  civil  affairs  w^e 
respect  the  authorities  that  be,  but  in  religious  ser- 
vice, resent  being  forced  to  keep  the  command 
ments  of  men.  We  recognize  the  laws  of  the  land 
in  all  secular  matters,  a.nd  the  laws  of  God,  ana  of 
God  alone,  in  religious  faith  and  practice.  These 
are  the  inalienable  rights  of  all  the  members  of  a 
Republic.  These  are  rights  reserved  by  the  peo- 
ple to  themselves,  in  the  formation  of  our  Govern- 
ment, which  no  power  can  legitimately  wrest  from 
us,  and  with  the  help  of  God  none  shall. 


No  12. 


MISUSE  OF  THE  TERM  "SABBATH 


It  is  quite  common,  in  these  days,  to  hear  the 
term  Sahhath  used  to  designate  the  first  day  of  the 
week  or  Sunday.  But  such  a  use  of  the  term  is 
not  only  unscriptural,  but  calculated  to  mislead  the 
people.  Throughout  the  Bible,  there  is  but  one 
sacred  day  of  weekly  occurrence  called  the  Sab- 
bath, and  that  is  the  seventh  or  last  day  of  the 
week.  When,  therefore,  men  talk  about  a  Christ 
ian  Sabbath  and  a  Jetvish  Sabbath  —  a  Jlrst-day 
Sabbath,  and  a  seventh-day  Sabbath  —  that  so  they 
may  slily  fix  the  term  Sabbath  upon  the  first  day, 
and  then  persuade  people  that  all  those  texts  ot 
Scripture  which  speak  of  the  Sabbath  day  are 
meant  of  the  first  day,  they  pursue  a  course  which 
is  unauthorized,  and  deserve  to  be  sharply  rebuked 
There  are  circumstances,  however,  which  many 
persons  seem  to  regard  as  justifying  the  common 
practice  of  calling  the  first  day  by  the  name  Sab- 
bath.    Let  us  examine  some  of  them. 

1.  It  is  said  that  the  term  Sabbath  signifies  rest; 
therefore  the  first  day,  being  commonly  observed 
as  a  day  of  rest,  may  properly  be  called  the  Sab- 
bath. In  reply  to  this,  it  may  be  said,  that  when, 
by  custom  and  common  consent,  any  term  is  used 
to  express  a  particular  place  or  thing,  it  then  be- 
comes a  proper  name  for  that  thing,  and  signifies 
only  that  thing  to  which  it  is  applied.    For  instance^ 


SS  MISUSE    OP    THE    TERM    SABBATH. 

a  tabernacle   means  a  place  of   worship.     Yet,  in 
New  York,  where  this  name   is  used  to  express  a 
particular    and    well-known    place   of  worship,    it 
would  be  absurd  and  false   to  say  you  were  at  the 
Tabernacle,  and  mean  the   Ciiurch  of  the  Messiah. 
So   with   the    term    Sabbath ;    although    the   word 
strictly  means  rest,  yet  after  the  Scriptures  through- 
out the  Old  and  New  Testaments  have  used  this 
term  to  express  a   particular  rest,   which   occurred 
on  the  seventh  day,  it  would  be  foolish  and  deceptive 
to  speak  of  the  Sabbath  and  mean  the  first  day  of 
the  week.     It  may  be  farther  said,  that  if  this  argu- 
ment be  good  for  calling  the  first  day  the  Sabbath, 
and  if  the  fact  of  its  being  a  re^^-day  makes  it  the 
Sabbath,  then  may  the  Mohammedans  properly  call 
the  sixth  day  the  Sabbath,  and  the  fact  that  they 
rest  upon  that  day  makes  it  the  Sabbath.      Yes, 
and  those   Mexican   Indians,  whom   Cortes    found 
keeping  the  fourth  day,  may  properly  call  that  day 
the  Sabbath,   and  directly   it  is  made  such.     Even 
those  people  in  Guinea,  whom  Purchase  describes 
as  having  a  re^^day,  but  which,  says  he,  "  they  ob- 
serve not   upon  our   Sunday,  nor  upon   the  Jews' 
Sabbath  day,  but  hold  it  upon  Tuesday,  the  second 
working  day  of  the  week,"  may  properly  call  that 
day  the  Sabbath,  and  straightway  it  becomes  such. 
Are  the  observers  of  the   first  day  ready  to  rest 
upon  such  ground  for  calling  that  day  the  Sabbath,  or 
to  continue  to  call  it  Sabbath  when  there  is  no  bel- 
ter ground  1     We  hope  not.     And  we  feel  bound, 
as  those  who  respect  the  Bible,  and  dare  not  charge 
the  Author  of  that  Book  with  folly  in  calling  the  sev- 
enth day  only  the  Sabbath,  to  protest  against  such 
abuse  of  the  language  of  Scripture. 

2.  The  second  reason  frequently  urged,  is,  that 
he  first  day  come  ft  in  the  room  of  the  seventh  day, 


MISUSE    OF    THE    TERM    SABBATH.  3 

and  nicay  tlierefore  properly  be  called  the  Sabbath. 
Aside  from  the  fact  that  the  Scriptures  say  not  a 
word  about  a  substitution  of  the  one  day  for  the 
other,  it  may  be  said  in  reply,  that  if  the  argument 
be  good,  then  the  Lord's  Supper  may  be  called  the 
Passover,  and  King  Solomon  may  be  called  King 
David. 

3.  A  third  reason  alledged  for  calling   the  first 
day  the  Sabbath,  is,  because  it  has  long  been  the 
practice  of  Christians  to  call  it  so.     In  answering 
this  assertion,  it  may  be   worth   while  to  inquire 
what  has  been  the   practice   of  Christians   in   this 
matter.     Few  will  deny,  that  wherever,  in  the  New 
Testament,  the  word  Sabbath  refers  to  a  weekly 
religious  day,  it  is  the  seventh  day.     When  the  j^r*^ 
day  of  the  week  is  spoken  of,  it  is  under  its  appro« 
priate  title.     For  nearly  the  whole  of  the  first  cen- 
tury, then,  we  have  the  testimony  of  Scripture  that 
the  name  Sahhath  belonged  exclusively  to  the  sev- 
enth  day.      During  the    succeeding  four  hundred 
years,  there  were  large  numbers,  both  in  the  East- 
ern church,  about  Constantinople,  and  in  the  West- 
ern church,   about  Rome,  who  kept  the  Sabbath. 
And  when    ecclesiastical    councils,    in    the    fourth 
and   fifth    centu^ues,  began  to  enact  laws   against 
them,  they  condemned  Sabbath-keeping  altogether. 
From  this  it  is  apparent,  that  the  idea  of  calling  the 
first  day  the  Sabbath  had  not  then   entered  their 
minds.     What  day  was  meant  when  the  term  Sab- 
bath was  used  for  five  hundred  years  later  still,  the 
learned  Dr.  Peter  Heylyn  has  told  us  in  the  follow- 
ing words  : — "  Wherever,  for  a  thousand  years  and 
upwards,  we  meet  with  Sahbatum,  in  any  writer,  of 
what  name  soever,  it  must  be  understood  of  no  day 
but  Saturday.^*     Indeed,  if  we  search  all  the  books 
which  have  been  written  on  this  and  kindred  sub- 


4  MISUSE    OF    THE    TERM    SABBATH. 

jects  up  to  the  time  of  the  Reformation,  we  shall 
not  find  that  the  first  day  was  to  any  considerable 
extent  regarded  as  the  Sabbath  or  called  by  that 
name.  Dr.  Richard  Whately,  Archbishop  of  Dub- 
lin, in  a  late  work  on  the  subject  of  the  Sabbath, 
says,  "in  fact,  the  notion  against  which  I  am  con- 
tending, [viz.  that  the  fourth  commandment  binds 
Christians  to  hallow  the  first  day  of  the  week,  and 
that  it  may  properly  be  called  the  Sabbath,]  seems, 
as  far  as  I  can  recollect,  to  have  originated  with  the 
Puritans,  not  much  more  than  200  years  ago,  and 
to  have  been  for  a  considerable  time  confined  to 
them,  though  it  was  subsequently  adopted  by  some 
members  of  our  church." 

So  far  is  it  from  being  true,  then,  that  the  first 
day  has  been  universally  called  the  Sabbath  among 
Christians,  that  even  now,  by  the  best  authorities 
upon  such  subjects,  it  is  not  called  Sabbath  at  all. 
The  Records  of  England  up  to  the  present  time 
invariably  call  the  seventh  day  the  Sabbath.  In  the 
Journals  of  the  House  of  Lords,  whatever  is  en- 
tered as  having  been  done  on  the  seventh  day,  or 
Saturday,  is  under  the  date.  Die  Sahhati,  upon  the 
Sabbath  day.  The  same  is  true  of  the  House  of 
Commons.  The  Rules  and  Records  of  the  King's 
Bench,  and  the  Latin  Records  in  tl|e  Court  of  Ex- 
chequer and  in  Chancery,  do  likewise  call  the  sev- 
enth day  the  Sabbath.  These  things  may  be  known 
by  any  who  will  take  the  trouble  to  examine  ;  and 
they  show  how  groundless  and  erroneous  is  the 
supposition  to  which  we  are  replying.  Indeed,  in 
many  languages  the  seventh  day  is  called  by  a 
name  which  indicates  its  sabbatic  character.  In 
Low  Dutch  it  is  called  rust-dagh,  the  day  of  rest. 
In  English,  French,  Italian,  Spanish,  Portuguese, 
Latin,  Greek,  and  Hebrew,  it  has  its  right  name, 
ihe  Sabbath,  the  day  of  rest. 


MISUSE    OF    THE    TERM    SABBATH.  O 

Now  let  us  look  at  some  of  the  consequences  of 
calling  the  first  day  by  the  name  of  the  Sabbath. 
It  has  given  occasion  for  Papists  to  charge  Pro- 
testants with  neglecting  the  Scriptures  to  follow 
their  traditions.  The  Papists  claim,  that  the  change 
of  the  Sabbath  is  the  work  of  their  own  church, 
and  that  the  Scriptures  nowhere  warrant  the  keep- 
ing of  the  first  day,  much  less  the  calling  it  by  the 
name  of  the  Sabbath.  Who  will  deny  this  latter 
position  ?  Again,  it  has  led  some  earnest  and  pious 
men  to  charge  the  teachers  of  religion  with  "  be- 
fooling and  misleading  the  people."  Proof  of  this 
may  be  found  to  any  extent  in  books  writted  on  the 
subject  in  the  seventeenth  century.  The  charge  is 
there  distinctly  and  frequently  made,  of  designedly 
using  deceptive  arguments. 

We  will  not  undertake  to  say,  that  those  who 
are  accustomed  to  speak  in  a  manner  so  likely  to 
deceive,  design  to  do  that.  But  we  will  say,  that 
such  would  be  the  natural  effect  of  their  language. 
It  would  leave  upon  the  minds  of  many  an  impres- 
sion, that  they  were  not  only  bound  to  pay  peculiar 
respect  to  the  first  day  of  the  week,  but  that  the 
fourth  commandment  required  of  them  such  respect. 
For  a  religious  teacher  knowingly  to  make  this  im- 
pression, is  to  be  guilty  of  directly  fostering  error. 
Nay,  more ;  if  he  should  call  the  first  day  the 
Sabbath,  and  refer  to  the  fourth  commandment  as 
inculcating  the  duty  of  observing  that  day;  oi 
should,  without  direct  reference  to  that  law,  ex- 
press himself  in  such  a  way  as  to  leave  his  hearers 
to  suppose  that  it  required  the  observance  of  the 
first  day,  he  would  be  wanting  in  faithfulness  to 
the  truth,  and  exposed  to  the  denunciation  of  those 
who  add  to  or  take  from  it. 

No  doubt  many  will  think,  that  at  a  time  when 
the  prevailing  tendency  is  to  disregard  all  sacred 


6  MISUSE    OP    THE    TERM    SABBATH. 

seasons,  it  were  better  not  to  say  these  things,  but  to 
leave  men  under  an  impression  that  the  law  of  God 
requires  the  observance  of  the  first  day  of  the 
week,  and  sanctions  calling  that  day  the  Sabbath. 
But  this  prevailing  disregard  of  the  day  of  rest,  is 
an  important  reason  for  urging  an  examination 
of  the  foundation  upon  which  the  Sabbath  rests. 
Common  prudence,  to  say  nothing  of  Christian  sin- 
cerity, would  require  us,  in  such  circumstances,  to 
place  the  duty  upon  its  true  ground.  If  it  will  not 
stand  there,  it  will  stand  nowhere.  It  is  a  danger- 
ous experiment  to  encourage  or  connive  at  miscon- 
ceptions in  a  point  like  this.  And  even  if  we  felt 
assured  that  it  would  be  right,  we  are  fully  con- 
vinced that  it  would  be  inexpedient.  It  is  exceed- 
ingly dangerous  to  acknowledge  an  unsound  prin- 
ciple, although  it  may  promise  to  conduct  us  to  de- 
sirable results,  or,  at  the  worst,  to  produce  no  bad 
effects.  It  ought  to  be  remembered,  that  it  was  in 
apparently  trivial  and  harmless  points,  that  those 
false  principles  were  allowed,  which  have  infused 
their  poison  into  the  Romish  and  other  apostate 
churches  —  a  poison  which,  commencing  with  the 
extremities,  has  worked  its  way  rapidly  towards 
the  vitals,  and  diffused  its  effects  through  the  whole 
system.  It  is  not,  then,  a  matter  of  small  moment. 
The  most  important  and  disastrous  consequences 
may  result  from  baptizing  a  day  of  human  inven- 
tion with  a  name  which  the  Scriptures  apply  ex- 
clusively to  one  appointed  of  God. 


[No.  13.] 


THE 


BIBLE  SABBATH, 


By  WILLIAM  M.  FAHNESTOCK,  M.D, 


"WE  OUGHT  TO  OBEY  GOD  KATHER  THAN  MEN.'" 


NEW-YORK : 

PUBLISHED  BY  THE  AMERICAN  SABBATH  TRACT  SOCIETY, 

No.  9  Spruce-Street. 


THE  BIBLE   SABBATH. 


Most  professors  of  religion,  who  found  their  faith  on 
the  Word  of  G-od,  attach  much  importance  to  a  weekly 
day  of  sacred  rest,  however  much  they  may  differ 
in  regard  to  the  day  to  be  sanctified  as  the  Sabbath, 
or  the  manner  in  which  its  sacred  hours  are  to  be  im- 
proved. It  is  not  the  design  of  the  writer  of  this 
small  tract,  to  enter  upon  the  discussion  of  the  multi- 
farious points  of  disputation,  which  have  been  raised 
by  most  writers,  in  treating  this  question,  but  simply 
to  exhibit  the  scriptural  account  of  the  day  to  be  hon- 
ored unto  the  Lord,  with  some  cursory  remarks  on 
the  prominent  topics  of  the  controversy,  which  can 
be,  and  which  ought  to  be,  determined  by  direct  re- 
ference *'  to  the  law  and  the  testimony.''  Without, 
therefore,  any  pretensions  to  an  extended  confutation 
of  men's  hypotheses  and  men's  subterfuges  on  this 
subject,  he  desires  merely  to  present  a  concise  epit- 
ome of  what  saith  the  Scriptures  in  reference  to  the 
day  which  legitimately  challenges  our  profound  ven- 
eration and  implicit  obedience ;  and  will  restrict  his 
comments ;  on  the  bearings  of  the  sacred  text,  to  as 
few  words  as  is  practicable  in  a  matter  of  such  grave 
importance ;  that,  in  embracing  and  defending  so  sa- 
cred an  institution,  and  in  responding  to  the  scriptural 
interrogation,  "  Who  hath  required  this  at  your 
hand  1  "  the  reader  may,  confidently  and  without  fear 
of  contradiction,  answer,  "  The  Lord  thy  God  —  the 


4  THE  BIBLE  SABBATH. 

Almighty  Jehovah  !  "  and  lay  his  finger  on  the  clear, 
unequivocal,  ungarbled,  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord,^'  for 
his  practice. 

The  Scriptures  tell  us,  that  God  "rested  on  the 
seventh  day  from  all  his  work  which  he  had  made ; 
and  God  blessed  the  seventh  day  and  sanctified  it." 
Gen.  2  :  2,3.  This  is  the  first  notice  of  the  Sabbath 
in  the  Bible  ;  and  it  is  the  first  religious  institution  es- 
tablished by  the  Almighty  for  the  benefit  of  all  after 
generations.  The  rest  of  the  testimonies  of  the  Lord 
to  the  sacredness  of  his  holy  day,  are  like  unto  it, 
wherever  they  occur  in  the  Inspired  Volume. 

During  the  sojourn  of  the  children  of  Israel  in  the 
wilderness,  the  Lord,  to  supply  their  necessities,  sent 
manna  daily,  save  on  the  seventh  day ;  thus  recog- 
nizing strictly  his  holy  Sabbath,  by  affording  them  a 
double  2'>ortion  on  the  sixth  day,  and  requiring  them 
to  secure  it  at  that  time  for  the  seventh  day. 

"  And  Moses  said  unto  them,  This  is  the  bread  which  the 
Lord  hath  given  you  to  eat.  This  is  the  thing  which  the  Lord 
hath  commanded.  Gather  of  it  every  man  according  to  his  eat- 
ing ;  an  omer  for  every  man  according  to  the  number  of  your 
persons,  take  ye  every  man  for  them  which  are  in  your  teats. 
And  the  children  of  Israel  did  so,  and  gathered,  some  more, 
some  lesp.  And  when  they  did  mete  it  with  an  omer,  he  that 
had  gathered  much  had  nothing  over,  and  he  that  had  gather- 
ed httle  had  no  lack ;  they  gathered  every  man  according  to 
his  eating.  And  Moses  said.  Let  no  man  leave  of  it  till  the 
morning.  Notwithstanding,  they  hearkened  not  unto  Moses, 
but  some  of  them  left  it  until  the  morning,  and  it  bred  worms 
and  stank ;  and  Moses  was  wroth  with  them.  And  they 
gathered  it  every  morning,  every  man  according  to  his  eat- 
ing ;  when  the  sun  w^axed  hot  it  melted.  And  it  came  to  pass, 
that  on  the  sixth  day,  they  gathered  twice  as  much  bread,  two 
omers  for  one  man;  and  all  the- rulers  of  the  congregation 
came  and  told  Moses.  And  he  said  unto  them.  This  is  that 
which  the  Lord  hath  said.  To-morrow  is  the  rest  of  the  holy 
Sabbath  unto  the  Lord;  bake  that  which  ye  will  bake  to-day, 
and  seethe  that  ye  will  seethe ;  and  that  which  remaineth 
over  lay  up  for  you  to  be  kept  until  the  morning.  And  they 
laid  it  up  till  the  morning,  as  Moses  bade;    and  it  did  not 


THE  BIBLE  SABBATH.  5 

Stink,  neither  was  there  any  worm  therein.  And  Moses  said, 
Eat  that  to-day  ;  for  to-day  is  the  Sabbath  unto  the  Lord ;  to- 
day ye  shall  not  find  it  in  tho  field.  Six  days  ye  shall  gather 
it;  but  on  the  scvcHtk  day,  wliich  is  the  Sabbath,  in  it  there 
shall  be  none.  And  it  came  to  j)ass,  that  there  went  out  some 
people  on  the  seventh  day  for  to  gather,  and  they  found  none. 
And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  How  long  refuse  ye  to  keep 
my  connnaiuhnents  and  my  laws  ?  See,  for  the  Lord  hath 
given  you  the  Sabbath,  therefore  he  giveth  you  on  the  sixth 
day  the  bread  o^  two  days;  abide  ye  every  man  in  his  place 
on  \he  seventh  day^     Exod.  16  :   15 — 30. 

This  was  before  the  giving  of  the  law,  and  is  irre- 
fragible  evidence  of  respect  unto  the  vSabbath  before 
the  law  was  'promvl gated. 

Wlien  the  Decalogue,  written  on  stone  by  the 
finger  of  God,  was  committed  to  the  Israelites,  the 
obligation  to  honor  the  Sabbath — the  seventh  day — 
was  emphatically  renewed,  and  most  explicitly  defined 
and  enjoined. 

"  Remember  the  Sabbath  day  to  keep  it  holy.  Six  days 
shalt  thou  labor  and  do  all  thy  work  ;  but  the  seventh  day  is 
the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord  thy  God;  in  it  thou  shalt  not  do  any 
work,  thou,  nor  thy  son,  nor  thy  daughter,  thy  man-servant, 
nor  thy  maid-servant,  nor  thy  cattle,  nor  thy  stranger  that  is 
within  thy  gates  ;  for  in  six  days  the  Lord  made  heaven  and 
earth,  the  sea,  and  all  that  in  them  is,  and  rested  the  seventh 
day ;  wherefore  the  Lord  blessed  the  Sabbath  day  and  hal- 
'Owed  it."     Exod.  20:  8— 11. 

The  same  is  reiterated  by  the  same  virriter  in  an- 
other place. 

"  Six  days  shall  work  be  done  ;  but  the  seventh  day  is  the 
Sabbath  of  rest,  an  holy  convocation  ;  ye  shall  do  no  work 
therein;  it  is  the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord  in  all  your  dwellings." 
Lev.  23:  3.  " 

The  reader  will  observe,  that  this  commandment 
does  not  ordain  a  new  and  peculiar  institution,  but  re- 
minds the  Israelites  of  one  which  had  been  establish- 
ed long  prior  to  their  existence  as  a  nation,  to  be  had 
in  remembrance  and  to  be  rigidly  observed.     "  Remem- 


6  THE  BIBLE   SABBATH* 

ber  the  Sabbath  day  to  keep  it  holy."  The  readei 
will  also  observe,  that  it  does  not  simply  appoint  a 
Sabbath,  or  a  seventh  part  of  time  to  be  consecrated 
as  holy  time,  but  that  the  precise  time,  the  particu- 
lar day,  is  specifically  certified  by  Jehovah  him- 
self—  that  it  is  the  day,  and  not  the  institution,  which 
the  Lord  blessed  and  hallowed ;  that  it  was  not  the 
sabbatic  law,  but  the  day  of  rest,  which  was  enjoined. 
The  law  was  predicated  on  the  sanctified  day,  not 
the  day  accommodated  to  the  institution;  and  that 
there  might  be  no  mistake  on  the  subject,  the  law  de- 
fines the  day  as  it  found  it,  and  assigns  clearly  and 
most  unequivocally  the  reason  for  its  observance.  It 
aims  simply  at  hallowing  the  day,  the  precise,  par- 
ticular day  ;  which  is  still  more  emphatically  express- 
ed in  the  original,  nncn  Qi"',  "the  day  of  the  rest^* 
because  in  it,  the  day,  God  rested  from  all  his  work, 
and  subsequently  enjoined  like  rest,  on  the  same  day, 
and  for  the  same  purpose,  upon  all  his  people.  This 
Bible  truth  ought  to  be  sufficient  to  overset  all  the 
sophistry  of  equivocators,  in  their  attempts  to  blind  the 
inquirer,  by  astutely  insinuating  the  idea,  that  the 
sabbatic  law  only  demands  the  consecration  of  a  sev- 
enth 2>ortion  of  time,  which  position,  they,  in  turn,  as 
stoutly  repudiate,  when  any  one  sees  proper  to  choose 
any  other  seventh  part  of  time  than  the  day  which 
they  propound  for  them.  To  proceed;  Nehemiah 
says : — 

"  In  those  days  saw  I  in  .ludah  some  treading  wine  presses 
on  the  Sabbath,  and  bringing  in  sheaves  and  lading  asses ;  as 
also  wine,  grapes,  and  figs,  and  all  manner  of  burdens,  which 
they  brought  into  .Jerusalem  on  the  Sabbath  day  ;  and  I  testi- 
fied against  them  on  the  day  wherein  they  sold  victuals. 
There  dwelt  men  of  Tyre  also  therein,  which  brought  fish  and 
all  manner  of  ware,  and  sold  on  the  Sabbath  unto  the  children 
of  Judah,  and  in  Jerusalem.  Then  I  contended  with  the  no- 
bles of  .ludah,  and  said  unto  them,  What  evil  thing  is  this  that 
ye  do  and  profane  the  Sabbath  day  ?      Did  not  your  fathers 


THE   IHBI.E  SABllATH.  7 

thus,  and  did  not  our  God  bring  all  this  evil  upon  us,  and  upon 
this  city?  Yet  ye  bring  more  wrath  upon  Israel  by  prolan- 
iug  the  Sabbath.  And  it  came  to  jjhss,  that  when  the  gates 
of  Jerusalem  began  to  be  dark  betbre  tiie  Sabbath,  1  com- 
manded that  the  gates  should  be  shut,  and  charged  that  tiiey 
slioidd  not  he  opened  till  alter  the  Sabbath  ;  and  some  ot  my 
servants  set  I  ut  the  gat's,  that  there  should  no  burden  be 
brouglit  in  on  the  Sabbatli  day.  .  So  the  mercliants  and  sellers 
of  all  kinds  of  ware  lodged  without  Jerusalem  <uice  or  twice. 
Then  I  testified  against  them,  Why  lodge  ye  about;  the  wall? 
if  ye  do  so  again,  I  will  lay  hands  on  you.  From  this  time 
forth  came  they  no  more  on  the  Sabbath.  And  I  c  )mmanded 
the  Levites  that  they  should  cleanse  themselves,  and  that 
they  should  CDUie  and  keep  ihe  iiates  to  sanctify  the  Sabbath 
day."     iNeh.  13  :  15—22. 

To  turn  to  the  New  Testament,  our  blessed  Re- 
deemer proclaimed  himself  Lord  of  the  Sabbath, 
(Mark  2  :  28,)  thereby  incorporating  it  in  the  new  dis- 
pensation. He  also  declared  most  distinctly,  that  he 
did  not  come  to  destroy  the  law,  but  to  fulfill  it ;  that 
not  one  jot  or  tittle  should  pass  from  the  law,  till  all 
be  fulfilled.  Matt.  5  :  17,  18.  Luke  also  affirms,  in 
reference  to  the  course  of  the  disciples  after  llje  cru- 
cifixion, that  they  "  rested  the  Sabbath  day  according 
to  the  commandment^  Luke  23  :  ^Qt.  This  was  after 
Christ  had  declared  that  all  his  work  was  finished  — 
the  new  covenant  perfected,  and  he  had  been  nailed 
to  the  tree.  This  doubtless  refers  to  the  command- 
ment to  observe  the  seventh  day.  No  one  disputes  it, 
as  no  command  was  given  to  observe  any  odier  day. 
And  from  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  we  find  that  they 
made  it  the  day  of  their  special  ministrations  of  the 
Word,  as  their  Lord  and  Master  had  done  before 
them. 

"  But  when  they  departed  from  Perga,  they  came  to  Anti» 
och  in  Pisidia.  and  went  into  the  synagogue  on  the  Snbbath 
day,  and  sat  down.  And  after  the  reading  of  the  law  and  the 
prophets,  the  rulers  of  the  synagogue  sent  unto  them  saying, 
Ye  men  and  brethren,  if  ye  have  atiy  word  of  exhortation  for 
the  people,  say  on.     Then  Paul  stood  up,  and  beckening  with 


8  THE  BIBLE  SABBATH. 

his  hand,  said,  Men  of  Israel,  and  ye  that  fear  God,  give  audi* 
ence."  Acts  13:  14,  15.  "And  when  the  Jews  were  gone 
out  of  the  synagogue,  the  Gentiles  besought  that  these^  words 
might  be  preached  to  them  the  next  Sabbath.  *  *  *  And 
the  next  Sabbath  day  came  ahnost  the  whole  city  to  hear  the 
word  of  God."  Id.  verses  42,  44.  Paul  "  reasoned  in  the 
synagogue  every  Sabbath,  and  persuaded  the  Jews  and  the 
Greeks."     Id,  18:  4,  5. 

All  the  promises,  and  all  the  penalities  connected 
with  the  observance  or  the  desecration  of  the  Sabbath, 
refer  to  the  seventh  day  Sabbath,  and  to  no  other  in 
future. 

"  Blessed  is  the  man  that  doeth  this,  and  the  son  of  man  that 
layeth  hold  on  it ;  that  keepelh  the  Sabbath  from  polluting  it, 
and  keepeth  his  hand  from  doing  any  evil."     Isa.  56 :  2. 

'*  If  thou  turn  away  tliy  foot  from  the  Sabbath,  from  doing 
thy  pleasure  on  my  holy  day  ;  and  call  the  Sabbath  a  delight, 
the  holy  of  the  Lord,  honorable  ;  and  shalt  honor  him,  not 
doing  thine  own  ways,  nor  finding  thine  own  pleasure,  nor 
speaking  thine  own  words  ;  then  thou  shalt  delight  thyself  in 
the  Lord  ;  and  I  will  cause  thee  to  ride  upon  the  high  places 
of  the  earth,  and  feed  thee  with  the  heritage  of  Jacob  thy  fa- 
ther ;  for  the  mouth  of  the  Lord  hath  spoken  it."  Id.  58  ^ 
13,  14. 

"  Thus  saith  the  Lord  :  Take  heed  to  yourselves,  and  bear 
no  burden  on  the  Sabbath  day,  nor  bring  it  in  by  the  gates 
of  Jerusalem ;  neither  carry  forth  a  burden  out  of  your  houses 
on  the  Sabbath  day,  neither  do  ye  any  work,  but  hallow  ye 
the  Sabbath  day,  as  I  coinmanded  your  fathers.  *  *  *  And 
it  shall  come  to  pass,  if  ye  diligently  hearken  unto  me,  saith 
the  Lord,  to  bring  in  no  burden  through  the  gates  of  the  city 
on  the  Sabbath  day,  but  hallow  the  Sabbath  day  to  do  no  work 
therein,  then  shall  there  enter  into  the  gates  of  the  city,  kings 
and  princes,  sitting  upon  the  throne  of  David,  riding  in  chariots 
and  on  horses,  they  and  their  princes,  the  men  of  Judah  and 
the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  ;  and  this  shall  remain  forever. 
*  *  *  But  if  ye  will  not  hearken  unto  me,  to  hallow  the 
.Siibbath  day,  and  not  to  bear  a  burden,  even  entering  at  the 
gates  of  Jerusalem  on  the  Sabbath  day ;  then  I  will  kindle  a 
fire  in  the  gates  thereof,  and  it  shall  devour  the  palacesof  Je- 
rusalem, and  it  shall  not  be  quenched."  Jer.  17:  21.  22,  24 
25,  27. 

No  wher6  in  the  Inspired  Word  have  w^e  any  other 


THE  BIBLE  SABBATH.  9 

weekly  Sabbatli  jippoiiited.  No  where  has  that  Sab- 
bath ever  been  abrogated  or  superseded.  No  where 
in  the  Scriptures  is  any  other  day  called  the  Sabbath- 
day.  No  where  is  any  other  day  required  to  be  ob- 
served as  the  Sahbath.  If,  then,  He,  the  Almighty, 
gave  the  seventh  day,  and  sanctified  and  hallowed  it 
as  his  Sabbath,  and  has  not  abrogated  it — ^has  not  ab- 
solved us  from  its  duties,  nor  delegated  authority  to 
others  to  do  so — it  remains  in  as  full  force  as  when  first 
instituted  by  Jehovah  himself,  and  will  stand  in  the 
Judgment  against  all  the  crafty  inventions  and  futile 
subterfuges  of  perverse,  rebellious  man. 

The  foregoing  summary  is  a  plain,  unvarnished,  un- 
mutilated  scriptural  account  of  God's  rest-day,  which 
He  enjoined  on  all  mankind,  for  all  ages,  for  all  na- 
tions, tongues,  and  kindred.  Some  persons,  nay,  the 
great  mass  of  the  Christian  world,  have  been  taught, 
that  the  Sabbath  alluded  to  is  a  "  Jewish  Sabbath,^' 
and  ''has  been  done  aioay  ;^'  in  proof  of  which  posi- 
tion, they  adduce  the  passages  in  Paul's  Epistle  to  the 
Colossians — "  Let  no  man,  therefore,  judge  you  in 
meat,  or  in  drink,  or  in  respect  of  an  holy-day,  or  of 
the  new  moon,  or  of  the  Sabbath-^a;/5,  which  are  a 
shadow  of  things  to  come  ;  but  the  body  is  of  Christ."* 
Col.  2:  16,  17.  "  Who  blotted  out  the  hand- writ- 
ing of  ordinances,  that  was  against  us,  which  was  con- 
trary to  us,  and  took  it  out  of  the  way,  nailing  it  to 
his  cross."   Col.  2  :   14.     This,  I  must  remark,  proves 


*  The  Sabbath  was  no  type  of  Christ — a  shndotc,  of  which 
Christ  was  to  be  the  body.  It  was  instituted  before  the  trans- 
gression ;  consequently,  the  term  Sabbath-days,  here,  has 
no  rele%'ancy  if  ap[)[ie(l  to  the  loeekly  Sabbath;  but  it  evi- 
dently alludes  to  the  festival  days  among  the  Jews,  usually 
called  Sabbaths,  as  all  the  Israelites  had  at  those  periods  to 
refrain  from  labor — "  such  as  the  festivals  of  the  Passover, 
Pentecost,  the  Feast  of  Tabprnacles,  &c.,  &c  .  which  are  allud- 
ed to  in  Leviticus,  19  :  3 — 30.     Keep  my  Sabbaths."'~CALHET. 


10  THE  BIBLE  SABBATH. 

too  much ;  for  if  it  has  abrogated  the  seventh-day 
Sabbath,  it  has  blotted  out  the  sabbatic  law  also ;  un- 
less it  be  shown,  that  it  is  reserved,  or  that  another 
has  been  re-enacted,  clearly  and  expressly  ordained. 
If  so,  let  its  advocates  point  to  a  single  requirement, 
an  unequivocal  injunction,  to  observe  any  other  day 
as  the  Sabbath,  and  it  will  terminate  all  controversy 
on  the  subject.  The  "  hand-wriiing  of  ordinances," 
which  was  "  nailed  to  the  cross,"  was  merely  "  the  cer- 
emonial law,"  the  onerous  burdens  of  the  Levitical 
ritual,  not  the  "  moral  law  of  commandments" — the 
Decalogue  !  If  the  opposite  view  be  correct,  then 
the  Sabbath,  or  any  "  rest-day,"  is  "  against  us,"  con- 
trary to  our  nature  and  wants,  and  is  not  for  our  good, 
and  ought  to  be  annulled  and  obliterated  forever. 
Then,  also,  we  are  driven  to  the  doctrine  of  the 
"Friends,"  that  all  days  are  alike  holy  under  the  gos- 
pel dispensation.  The  advocates  for  the  first  day  of 
the  week  can  not  consistently  escape  this  dilemma. 
They  must  accept  the  Sabbath  hallowed  by  the  Lord, 
or  hallow  all  days  alike. 

Much  as  man  has  attempted  to  obscure  and  pervert 
this  holy  institution,  the  Word  of  Truth  is  clear,  ex- 
press and  emphatic,  in  regard  to  the  perpetuity  of  the 
particular  day  to  be  hallowed,  as  well  as  it  is  explicit 
in  the  precise  time  to  be  sanctified.  The  Scriptures 
no  where  speak  of  a  ''Jcwhh  Sabbath"'  or  a  "  Chris- 
tian Sabbath:'  The  Sabbath  of  the  Bible  is  but  one, 
and  has  but  one  name — "  the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord  thy 
God;"  which  the  Scriptures  declare  is  the  seventh  day, 
instituted  more  than  two  thousand  years  before  there 
was  a  Jew  in  the  world,  and,  consequently,  could  not 
have  been  a  "  Jewish  Sabbath."  The  Sabbath,  Christ, 
who  is  "  Lord  of  the  Sabbath,"  asserts,  "  was  made 
for  man" — the  whole  race  of  man — not  for  a  parti(;u- 
lar  nation  or  people,  but  for  rnanhind  at  large. 

It  is  proper  here  to  remark,  that  this  sneering  at 


THE   BIBLE   SABBATH.  H 

the  '^Jewish  Sabbath,'"  which  m  Umes  past  was,  and 
still  is,  by  weak  minds,  constantly  resorted  to,  in  the 
absence  of  legitimate  argument,  to  prejudice  the  pop- 
ulace against  giving  this  subject  a  fair  and  impartial 
examinalioij,  and  thereby  to  lead  them  to  prejudge 
the  case,  has,  within  a  few  years  past,  been  abandon- 
ed by  all  sensible  and  consistent  advocates  f(H"  the 
sabbatic  institution.  They  find  that  it  stultifies  their 
own  pretensions,  and  has  done  much  damage  to  them- 
selves in  sustaining  the  claims  of  sacredness  for  any 
other  day  ;  for,  while  they  maintain  that  the  ancient 
Sabbath  was  a  Jewish  institution,  they  unwittingly 
prove  that  there  is  no  longer  any  Sabbath  to  be  ob- 
served, since  they  fail  to  show  that  another  has  been 
ordained  or  established  for  the  Christian  Church.  If 
a  "Jewish  Sabbath,"  it  was  done  away  with  by  the 
Jewish  dispensation  ;  and  if  no  other  Sabbath  has 
been  expressly  appointed  by  Divine  authority,  the 
Christian  Church  is  certainly  left  without  the  Sabbath, 
or  any  substitute  possessing  any  of  its  sacredness — a 
sacredness  which  can  only  be  derived  from  an  express 
and  explicit  mandate  from  the  Lord  of  the  Sabbath. 
That  puerile  quibble,  the  nick-naine  "  Jewish  Sab- 
bath," has,  therefore,  been  abandoned  by  the  most 
prominent  writers  of  the  present  day ;  w4io  gen- 
erally fall  back  and  found  the  institution  (the  origin 
and  grounds  for  its  perpetuity)  long  anterior  to  the 
"  Jewish,"  the  Mosaic  dispensation — even  back  to  the 
Sabbath  of  Paradise.  Thus  Dr.  Barnes,  of  Phila- 
delphia,  in  a  series  of  sermons  on  this  subject,  deliv- 
ered and  published  in  the  fall  of  1845,  advocates  this 
position,  and  contends  strenuously  for  the  Ante-Mosaic 
Sabbath.  The  same  view  was  inculcated  by  the 
*'  National  Lord's  Day  Convention,"  held  at  Balti- 
more, November,  1844 ;  and  it  has  been  reiterated 
more  distinctly  and  emphatically  by  "  The  Rhode 
Island  Sabbath  Union,"  in  an  address  to  the  people  of 


12  THE  BIBLE  SABBATH. 

that  State,  in  1846,  to  which,  among  others,  we  find  at- 
tached the  name  of  Dr.  Wayland,  the  honored  Presi- 
dent of  Brown  University.  The  Committee  of  the 
Rhode  Island  **  Sahhatli  Union,"  in  calUng  attention 
to  the  claims  of  the  Sabbath,  remark  : 

"  The  Lord  of  the  Sabbath  has  here  said,  '  The  Sabhath  teas 
made  for  man.''  Man  is  here  used,  most  ci'rtainly,  as  a  generic 
term,  and,  therefore,  presents  a  universal  propositiou.  The 
Sabbath  was  not  made  for  man,  for  man  as  a  genus,  as  a  race, 
unless  it  was  made  for  every  individual  of  the  race  ;  for  the 
first,  and  for  the  last  man ;  for  the  first  generation,  and  for 
every  other.  The  Sabbaih,  then,  must  have  existed  from  the 
begiu-aing.  and  is  as  old  as  the  h;irnan  race.  Our  Lord  sayg, 
moreover,  '  The  Sabbath  was  made  lor  man.'  He  says  not, 
the  .Jewish  Sabbath,  or  the  Christian  Sabl)ath.  but  the  Sabbath, 
the  common,  the  universal  one,  which  belongs  to  mankind.  Is 
this  not  the  very  language  to  denote  a  universal  and  perpetual 
institution  ? 

"  Let  us  look  at  the  connection  of  the  Sabbath  with  the 
work  of  creation.  *  God  blessed  the  seventh  day  and  sanctified 
it.'  If  the  Creator  had  merely  rested  on  the  seventh  day,  it 
would  have  been  an  impressive  consecration.  But  when  he 
proceeds  to  bless  and  sanctify  it,  there  is  authority,  a  positive 
Sabbatli,  forming  a  part  of  the  primeval  arrangement,  when 
God  fixed  the  order  in  which  the  world  should  go — six  days 
labor  and  one  day  rest,  over  and  over  f  )rever.  The  first  week 
of  the  world,  then,  was  not  completed  till  there  had  been  a 
Sabbath,  as  well  as  a  first  day  or  a  sixth.  Is  not  this  indica- 
tive of  the  universality  and  perpetuity  of  the  institution?" 

Here  we  might  rest  the  question,  with  perfect  safety, 
if  the  mass  of  mankind  would  be  content  with  the  plair. 
teachings  of  the  Bible ;  but,  having  "  itching  ears," 
they,  unfortunately,  are  too  apt  to  leave  **  the  law  and 
the  testimony,"  and  cleave  to  "  the  commandments  of 
men  ;"  which  teach  them,  that  "  Christ  or  his  Apos- 
tles'^  have  transferred  the  sacredness  of  the  seventh 
day  to  the  first  day  of  the  week.  The  writer,  there- 
fore, feels  constrained  to  bring  before  his  readers  the 
passages  on  which  that  notion  is  predicated,  to  exhibit 
the  weakness  of  their  untenable  position,  and  thereby 
establish  the  Sabbath  of  the  Bible. 


THE  IJIBLE  SABBATH.  13 

Wliat  saith  tlie  Scriptures  to  support  the  claims  of 
the  first  day  of  the  week  to  be  holy  time  ?  The  first 
notice  we  have  of  the  disciples  being  together  on 
**  the  first  day  of  the  week,"  on  which  the  assumed 
**  change"  is  predicated,  is  found  in  the  Gospel  by 
John : — 

"  Then  the  same  day  at  evening,  being  the  first  "lay  of  the 
week,  when  tlie  doors  were  shut  for  fear  of  the  Jews  (mark 
that!)  cuine.Iesds  and  stood  in  the  midst,  and  saith  nuto  them, 
Peace  he  unto  you.  And  when  he  had  so  said,  he  showed  unto 
them  his  hands  and  his  side.  Then  were  the  disciples  glad 
when  they  saw  the  Lord."     John  20  :  19,  20. 

This  passage  contains  no  command,  no  intimation 
whatever,  to  sanctify  that  day.  It  does  not  even 
claim  that  they  were  there  for  any  sacred  jiurpose, 
much  less  to  celebrate  the  Sabbath,  or  institute  a  new 
day  of  worship,  but  simply  for  common  protection. 
"  for  fear  of  the  Jews ;"  and  a  design  to  comfort  them 
in  their  trepidation  is  all  the  legitimate  inference  we 
can  draw  from  the  circumstance  of  Christ's  appearing 
unto  them.  All  the  Apostles  were  not  together; 
Thomas  was  absent !  If  they  had  met  together  to 
sahbatize,  he,  certainly,  would  have  been  with  them. 
Not  having  been  present,  and  not  having  seen  the 
risen  Saviour,  while  doubting  and  disputing  on  the 
subject  of  his  resurrection,  ''eight  days  ajtericard,^* 
Christ  appeared  again,  to  confound  the  incredulity  of 
Thomas,  and  for  no  other  ostensible  purpose. 

'  Thomas,  one  of  the  twelve,  called  Didymus,  was  not  with 
them  when  Jesus  came.  The  other  disciples  therefore  said 
anto  him,  We  have  seen  the  Lord.  But  he  said  unto  them, 
Except  I  shall  see  in  his  hands  the  print  of  the  nails,  and  thrust 
my  hand  into  his  side.  I  will  not  believe.  And  after  eight  days 
the  disciples  xcere  within*  and  Thomas  with  them:  then  came 

*  Within  does  not  imply  that  they  were  assembled  at  any 
public  place  for  worship,  or  to  celebrate  a  holy  day.  Within 
may  simply  mean,  that  they  were  together  in  the  place  of 
their  comraou  lodgment — where  they  abode  together. 


14  THE  BIBLE  SABBATH. 

Jesus,  the  door  being  shut,  and  stoud  in  the  midst,  and  said, 
Peace  be  unto  you.  Then  said  he  to  Thomas,  Reach  hither 
thy  finger,  and  behold  my  hands  ;  and  reach  hither  thy  hand, 
and  thrust  it  into  my  side,  and  be  not  faithless,  but  believing. 
And  Thomas  answered  and  said  unto  him,  My  Lord  and  ray 
God."    John  20:  2G, 

So  much,  and  that  is  all,  is  the  authority  adduced 
by  the  advocates  for  the  sacredness  of  the  first  day  for 
Christ  having  changed  the  day  of  rest,  the  Sabbath, 
or  having  given  his  sanction  to  the  change.  Ought 
such  a  vague  inference  overturn  the  fiat  of  the  Al- 
mighty— change  times  and  laws  ordained  Ify  Jehovah 
to  endure  forever?  Is  the  "being  together,"  save 
one,  of  the  twelve,  "  for  fear  of  the  Jews,"  and  *'  being 
within  eight  days  afterward,"  any  evidence  of  their 
being  there  to  celebrate  the  "  Sabbath"  or  Lord'ft 
day  ?  Is  there,  in  these  transactions,  any  re-enact- 
ment of  the  sabbatic  law,  which  some  persons  main- 
tain was  abrogated  by  the  "  blotting  out  of  the  hand- 
writing of  ordinances  ?"  Is  there  any  injunctiop 
issued  by  them  —  the  apostles  —  requiring  the  disci 
pies  to  honor,  hallow,  and  sanctify  the  first  day  of  the 
week,  in  any  of  the  above  proceedings  1 

The  next  Scripture  assumed  for  the  substitution  of 
the  first  day  of  the  week  in  the  place  of  the  Sabbath 
of  the  Lord,  is  found  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles : — 

"  And  upon  the  first  day  of  the  week,  when  the  disciples 
came  together  to  break  bread,  Paul  preached  unto  them,  ready 
to  depart  on  the  morrow,  and  continued  his  speech  until  mid- 
night. And  there  were  many  lights  in  the  upper  chamber 
where  they  were  assembled  together.  And  there  sat  in  the 
window  a  certain  young  man  named  Eutycbus,  being  fallen 
into  a  deep  sleep ;  and  as  Paul  was  long  preaching,  he  bunk 
down  with  sleep,  and  fell  from  the  third  loft,  and  was  taken 
up  dead  And  Paul  went  down,  and  fell  on  him,  and  embrac- 
ing him,  said,  Trouble  not  yourselves,  for  his  life  is  in  him. 
When  he,  therefore,  was  come  up  again,  and  had  broken 
bread,  and  eaten,  and  talked  a  long  while,  even  till  break  of 
day,  he  departed."     Acts  20:  7 — 11. 

It  is  necessary  to  a  proper  understanding  here,  to 


THE  BIBLE  SARBATII.  16 

bear  in  mind — 1st.  That  it  was  the  custom  of  the  dis- 
ciples, in  the  days  of  the  apostles,  to  meet  together, 
and  break  bread,  ever  if  day.  "  They  continued  stead- 
fast in  the  apostles'  doctiine  and  fellowship,  and  in 
breaking  of  bread,  and  in  prayers."  "And  they,  con- 
tinuing daily  with  one  accord  in  the  temple,  and 
breaking  bread  from  house  to  house,  did  eat  their 
meat  with  o^ladness  and  sinorleness  of  heart."  2d.  That 
in  those  times  a  day  was  counted  "  the  evening  and 
the  morning  were  the  first  day."  "  From  even  unto 
even  shall  ye  celebrate  your  Sabbaths."  Lev.  23  :  32. 
Thus  it  appears,  by  this  passage,  that  they  had  simply 
met,  as  was  their  uniform,  daily  custom,  to  cele- 
brate the  breaking  of  bread  on  the  evening  (the  com- 
mencement of  the  day),  it  being  the  last  evening  Paul 
was  to  be  with  them  ;  and  in  all  probability  the  cir 
cumstance  would  not  have  been  noticed  so  particu- 
larly, but  to  introduce  the  case  of  Eutychus,  in  con- 
firmation of  Paul's  miraculous  powers.  The  passage 
does  not  prove  any  thing  for  the  sacredness  of  the 
first  day  of  the  week,  but  proves  much  against  it ;  for, 
if  the  first  day  of  the  week  is  holy  time,  Paul,  in 
preaching  till  midnight,  and  departing  on  the  morrow, 
would  be  a  Sabbath-breaker  for  ti'aveling  on  that  day. 
He  would  have  kept  the  evening  only.  "  From  even 
unto  even  shall  ye  celebrate  your  Sabbaths."  The 
same  disregard  for  the  sacredness  of  the  first  day  of 
the  week  was  manifested*  by  the  Redeemer  himself, 
in  traveling  on  the  "  resurrection  day"  to  Emmaus,  a 
distance  of  seven  and  a  half  miles,  while  a  "  Sabbath- 
day's  journey"  was  resti-icted  to  one  mile':  slender 
evidence,  indeed,  of  the  Saviour's  having  transferred 
the  holiness  of  the  Sabbath  to  "  the  first  day  of  the 
week,"  or  having  "  sanctioned"  it,  as  is  often  claimed 
by  its  advocates. 

The  next  passage  adduced  is  found  in  Paul's  First 
Epistle  to  the  Corinthians — "Upon  the  first  day  oi 


10  THE   lilHLE   SABBATH. 

the  week,  let  every  one  of  you  lay  by  him  in  store,  as 
God  hath  prospered  him,  that  there  be  no  gatherings 
when  I  come."  1  Cor.  16  :  2.  First  day  ?  Day  is 
not  in  the  original,  but  is  supplied,  and  is  so  desig- 
nated by  being  italicized.  So  the  true  reading  is, 
"  In  the  first  of  the  week."  However,  if  it  mean  the 
first  day,  Sunday,  it  makes  it  a  commercial  day,  a 
day  of  business,  a  day  of  reckoning,  r^ot  of  rest,  as 
it  requires  a  man  to  cast  up  his  accounts,  to  find  what 
amount  he  can  "  lay  by." 

The  last  text,  and  the  one  most  relied  upon,  is  from 
John's  Revelation — "  I  was  in  the  spirit  on  the  Lord's 
day."  Rev.  1 :  10.  There  is  nothing  in  this  passage, 
or  in  the  context,  to  indicate  that  it  was  the  first  day 
of  the  week.  It  is  a  mere  assumption,  without  any 
Scripture  to  fortify  the  position.  The  best  biblical 
critics  admit  that  there  is  no  scriptural  evidence  to 
identify  the  expression  with  the  first  day  of  the  week 
If  we  follow  the  Protestant  rule,  to  prove  Scripture 
by  Scripture,  and  not  evade  the  plain  teachings  of  the 
Bible,  it  will  be  an  easy  matter  to  see  a  much  more 
apt  application  of  the  expression.  Many  of  the  best 
commentators  supj)Ose  that  it  alludes  to  the  Gospel- 
day.  "  Your  father  Abraham  rejoiced  to  see  my  day  ; 
he  saw  it,  and  was  glad."  John  8 :  5Q.  Was  not 
this  a  day  which  approximates  (if  it  will  not  be  ad- 
mitted to  be  identical)  not  only  in  idea,  but  in  a  kin- 
name — the  day  of  Christ — the  Gospel-day?  Paul 
speaks  of  it  as  something  yet  to  come.  *'  That  ye 
may  approve  things  that  are  excellent;  that  ye  may 
be  sincere  and  without  offense,  till  the  day  of  Christ^ 
"  Holding  forth  the  word  of  life,  that  I  may  rejoice  in 
the  day  of  Christ,  that  I  have  not  run  in  vain,  neither 
labored  in  vain."  "  Who  shall  also  confirm  you  unto 
the  end,  that  ye  may  be  blameless  in  the  day  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ."  "■  Now,  we  beseech  you,  breth- 
ren, by  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  by 


THE  BIBLE  SABBATH.  17 

our  gathering  together  unto  him,  that  ye  be  not  soon 
shaken  in  mind,  or  troubled,  neither  by  spirit,  nor  by 
word,  inn'  by  Idler,  as  from  us,  as  that  the  day  of 
Cin-ist  is  at  hand,"  "  That  the  spirit  may  be  saved 
in  the  day  of  the  Lord  Jesus."  Phil.  1  :  10;  2  :  16; 
1  Cor.  1  :  8 ;  2  Thess.  2  :  1,  2,  3 ;  1  Cor.  5  :  5.  Again, 
it  is  maintained  by  some  expounders,  that  allusion  ia 
had  to  the  Judgment  Day.  "  The  day  of  the  Lord 
will  come  as  a  thief  in  the  night,  in  which  the  heavens 
shall  pass  away  with  a  gi'eat  noise,  and  the  elements 
shall  melt  with  fervent  heat ;  the  earth  also,  and  all 
the  works  therein,  shall  be  burned  up."  2  Peter  3  : 
10.  Therefore  John,  in  saying,  "  I  was  in  the  spirit 
on  the  Lord's  day,"  simply  asserts,  that  in  prophetic 
vision  his  spirit  reached  forward  to  the  great  day  for 
which  all  other  days  were  made,  and  beheld  the  mo- 
mentous transactions  of  that  awful  crisis,  which  he 
was  directed  to  reveal  to  the  churches  on  earth. 

From  this  brief  examination,  it  appears,  that  the 
term  "  Lord's  day,"  as  here  used,  does  not  refer  to  any 
particular  day  of  the  week.  But  if  it  refer  to  any  spe- 
cial day  of  the  week,  as  some  suppose,  it  must  refer 
to  the  seventh ;  for  that  is  the  sanctified,  hallowed 
rest-day  of  the  Bible,  and  is  the  only  day  which  the 
Lord  calls  his  holy  day  (Is.  58  :  13),  and  therefore 
must  be  the  Lord's  day.  If,  however,  the  U'.yxq. 
*'  Lord's  day,"  used  by  John,  does  not  refer  to  the 
gospel  day,  or  the  day  of  judgment,  nor  to  the  Lord's 
"  holy  day,"  the  seventh-day  Sabbath,  but  alludes  to 
a  festival  day  to  commemorate  the  resurrection,  as  is 
assumed,  where  is  the  command  requiring  it  to  be 
kept  holy]  And  where  is  the  evidence  in  the  Scrijj- 
tures,  that  it  was  kept  as  the  Sabbath,  or  in  place  of 
the  Sabbath  1 

Even  were  there  any  intimations  given  by  the 
prophets  or  the  apostles,  (which  we  deny,)  that  the  res- 
urrection day  should  be  regarded  as  the  "  ceremony* 


18  THE  BIBLE  SABBATH. 

worship-day' '  under  the  gospel  dispensation,  where  ia 
the  evidence  in  tlie  Scriptures  that  the  first  day  of  the 
week  IS  or  was  the  resurrection  day  1  It  is  assumed, 
not  proved.  The  Bible  and  human  theories  are  at 
conflict  on  this  subject.  It  is  generally  assumed,  that 
the  Redeemer  was  crucified  on  Friday,  and  rose  early 
on  Sunday  morning.  This  makes  Christ  a  liar ;  for 
he  said,  "  As  Jonas  was  three  days  and  three  nights 
in  the  whale's  belly,  so  shall  the  Son  of  Man  be  three 
days  and  three  nights  in  the  heart  of  the  earth." 
Matth.  12  :  40.  Crucified  on  Friday,  and  rising  on 
Sunday  morning,  would  make  but  part  of  three  days, 
and  only  two  nights.  Christ  said  three  days  and  three 
nights,  and  he  certainly  must  be  right.  Therefore, 
crucified  on  Friday,  he  could  not  have  risen  on  Sun- 
day. The  New  Testament  does  not  assert  that  he 
rose  on  the  first  day  of  the  week ;  it  only  says,  that 
he  was  seen  on  the  first  of  the  week,  not  first  day. 
In  all  the  places  in  which  allusion  is  had  to  this  mat- 
ter, (Matth.  28 :  1 ;  Mark  16:1,9;  Luke  24  :  1 ;  John 
20  :  1,  19),  the  original  says,  in  the  first  of  the  week 
— day  is  not  once  named,  but  is  siipplied  in  our  ver- 
sion, as  is  indicated  by  being  italicised.  But  even  if 
the  term  first  of  the  week  implies  first  day,  the  Scrip- 
tures no  where  assert  that  he  rose  on  that  day.  Being 
seen,  and  rising,  are  two  entirely  different  matters. 
So  is  a  part  of  three  days  and  two  nights  different 
from  three  days  and  three  nights.  If  Jesus  had  said, 
"  three  days  and  nights,'^  it  might  not  involve  the 
present  difficulty;  but  no  one  questions  that  Jonas 
was  three  whole  days  and  three  whole  nights  in  the 
whale's  belly.  Then,  as  the  Redeemer  makes  that 
the  simile  of  his  own  confinement  in  the  heart  of 
the  earth,  the  antitype,  to  be  verified  and  accred- 
ited, must  be  like  unto  the  type.  He  must  have 
been  there  the  three  days  and  the  three  nights,  ac- 
cording to  his  word.     It  is  vain  presumption,  arrant 


THE  BIBLE  SABBATH.  19 

Dlasphemy,  to  make  it  any  less  to  gratify  a  human 
theory.  Let  God  be  true,  though  it  make  all  men 
liars. 

In  the  absence  of  all  direct  scriptural  evidence  to 
sustain  the  assumption,  that  the  first  day  of  the  week  is 
the  '•'■  resurrection  day  ;"  and  in  the  absence  of  all  such 
evidence,  that  the  Lord  designed  to  elevate  the 
first  day  of  the  week  to  the  special  regard  of  the 
Christian  Church,  and  confer  upon  it  the  sacredness 
of  the  ancient  Sabbath ;  would  we  not,  at  least,  have 
some  intimation  of  it  in  the  writings  of  the  prophets, 
in  which  all  the  important  circumstances  of  the  Re- 
deemer's life  and  mission  are  foreshadowed?  Where, 
reader,  will  you  find  any  thing  in  them  that  predicts 
any  change  of  the  holy  Sabbath  to  the  resurrection 
day  1  If  found,  let  it  be  adduced.  The  Sabbath  is  a 
standing:  monument  ag^ainst  Atheism,  for  all  ag^es,  de- 
daring  the  workmanship  of  God ;  yet  some  assume^ 
that  as  redemption  is  a  greater  work,  and  a  more  im- 
portant work,  than  the  creation  of  the  universe  and 
the  living  souls  which  inhabit  all  the  spheres,  there- 
fore the  resurrection  day  ought  to  be  honored  as  the 
rest-day.  Has  not  the  Ltord  the  right  to  determine 
this  matter?  If  He  deemed  it  important  that  the 
resurrection  day  be  thus  distinguished,  would  He  not 
have  declared  it,  expressly,  unto  us?  Would  He 
have  left  us  to  infer  it  ?  Can  we,  will  we,  be  justified 
in  casting  aside  the  explicit  command  of  the  Most 
High,  in  this  matter,  to  substitute  onr  fancied  day  of 
gi'eater  importance  than  the  one  the  Almighty  has 
ordained  ?  "  Wherefore  kick  ye  at  my  sacrifice  and 
at  mine  offering,  which  I  have  commanded  ?"  1  Sara. 
2  :  29.  "  It  is  hard  for  thee  to  kick  agfainst  the 
pricks."     Acts  9  :  o. 

If,  then,  there  is  no  evidence  in  the  Scriptures,  that  the 
first  day  of  the  week  is  the  "  resurrection  day,""  (which, 
even  if  satisfactorily  established,  would  not  invalidate 


20  THE  BIBLE  SABBATH. 

our  position,  nor  entitle  it  to  supersede  tlie  holy  Sab- 
bath) ;  and,  more  particularly,  if  there  is  no  evidence 
in  the  Inspired  Volume,  that  the  term  "  Lord's  day"  is 
intended  to  designate  (hejirst  day  of  the  locek;  we  are 
reduced,  by  every  principle  of  reasoning,  to  regard 
the  seventh  day — the  Heaven-heralded  Sabbath — as  the 
only  "  Lord's  day,"  the  only  "  rest-day,"  sanctified  and 
hallowed  by  the  Almighty  as  holy  time. 

All  days,  in  one  sense,  are  Lord's  days  ;  but  there 
has  never  been  but  one  Heaven-ajjpointcd  weekly  Sab- 
bath, and  that,  most  unequivocally,  is  the  seventh  day. 
"Remember  the  Sabbath  day  to  keep  it  holy" — "  the 
seventh  day  is  the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord  thy  God."  Ex. 
20 :  8.  If  that  sacred  injunction  has  been  abrogated,  we 
should  expect — (for  it  would  be  unreasonable  to  recog- 
nize its  repeal  or  transfer,  without  as  explicit  and  as 
authoritative  a  mandate  from  the  Court  of  Heaven) — al 
least  a  re-enactment  somewhat  thus  :  "  From  the  res- 
urrection of  the  Lord  Jesus,  ye  shall  no  longer  sabbat- 
IZE,  but  shall  give  heed  to  the  assembling  of  yourselves 
ON  THE  first  DAY  OP  THE  WEEK ;  in  it  yc  shall  do 
no  work  ;  and,  to  avoid  the  appearance  of  symbolizing 
with  my  ancient  people,  the  Jews,  call  it  no  longer  the 
Sabbath,  but  designate  it  by  the  term  Lord^s  day  .'" 
Is  there  any  intimation  of  such  an  abrogation,  or  such 
a  transfer  of  the  sacrcdncss  of  the  Sabbath  to  Sunday^ 
in  the  inspired  volume  1  Not  the  semblance  of  it. 
Even  if  the  early  disciples,  without  any  intimation 
from  the  Liord  of  the  Sabbath,  but  of  their  own  accord, 
chose  to  set  apart  a  special  day  as  a  festival  day,  as 
they  were  wont  to  do  for  martyrs  and  saints,  it  can 
not,  certainly,  supersede  the  institution  of  Jehovah ; 
neither  can  they  confer  upon  it  the  sacredness  belong- 
ing, by  the  decree  of  the  Most  High,  to  his  rest-day. 
Indeed,  this  is  so  evident,  that  the  erudite  and  frank 
Neander  expressly  says,  "  Opposition  to  Judaism  in- 
troduced the  particular  festival  of  Sunday,  very  early, 


THE  BIBLE  SABBATH.  21 

indeed,  into  the  place  of  the  Sabbath. .  . .  Sunday  was 
distinfruished  as  a  day  of  joy,  by  the  circumstance  that 
men  did  not  flist  upon  it,  and  that  they  prayed  stand- 
ing up,  and  not  kneeHng,  as  Christ  had  raised  up  fallen 
man  to  heaven  again  through  his  resurrection.  The 
festival  of  Sunday,  like  all  oilier  festivals,  was  always 
only  a  human  ordinance  ;  and  it  was  far  from  the  in- 
tention of  the  apostles  to  establish  a  divine  command 
in  this  respect — far  from  them,  and  from  the  early 
apostolic  church,  to  transfer  the  laivs  of  the  Sabbath 
to  Sunday.  Perhaps  at  the  end  of  the  second  cen 
tury,  a  false  application  of  this  hind  had  begun  to 
take  place  ;  for  men  appear  by  that  time  to  have  con- 
sidered laboring  on  Sunday  as  a  sin."* 

Such,  then,  is  the  scriptural  account  of  the  Sabbath, 
and  such  the  frank  admission  of  one  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished ecclesiastical  historians,  who  could  have  no 
motive  in  perverting  or  misrepresenting  the  facts  in 
the  case,  but  who  has  always  shown  himself  above 
all  mean  subterfuges  for  any  purpose  whatever.  His 
testimony  might  be  fortified  by  many  names  of  high 
authority  among  writers  of  eminence,  who  do  not  con- 
tend for  sabbatizing  on  the  seventh  day,  yet  whose 
candor  and  honesty  constrain  them  to  make  the  like 
admission. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen,  that  the  observers  of  the  sev- 
enth-day Sabbath  can  look  up  with  full  confidence  of 
having  a  "thus  saith  the  Lord"  for  their  practice; 
while  the  observers  of  the  first  day  of  the  week  must 
confess,  with  confusion  of  face,  that  they  are  but  fol- 
lowing "  the  commandments  of  men,"  and  can  only 
plead  "  the  nakedness  of  the  Fathers,"  as  Whitby 
terms   their   inconsistencies.     Will   the   Lord    admit 


*  The  History  of  the  Christian  Religion  and  Church  during 
the  First  Three  Centuries.  By  Dr.  Augustus  Neander.  Trans- 
lated by  Henry  John  Rose,  B.D.     New  York,  1848.  p.  186. 


22  THE  BIBLE  SABBATH. 

such  a  "  vain  oblation  ?"  Will  he  suffer  such  a  per- 
version of  his  holy  institution  to  go  unreproved) 
Where,  reader,  can  you  find  in  the  Bible  any  author- 
ity for  appropriating  the  title  of  the  holy  rest-day,  the 
Sabbath,  to  the  first  day  of  the  week  1  If  you  can 
not,  is  it  not  "robbing God"  thus  to  falsify  his  Wordl 
Is  it  not  base  felony  every  time  any  w^orm  of  the  dust 
thus  perversely  uses  the  term  which  He,  the  Sovereign 
of  the  Universe,  has  attached  to  his  holy  day — thereby 
wantonly  "  changing  times  and  laws" — overturning 
the  decrees  of  the  Lord  God  1  Is  it  not  wresting  the 
Word  to  your  own  destruction  1  If  the  Lord  charge 
man  with  robbery  in  withholding  perishable  tithes  and 
offerings,  and  curse  him  for  that  delinquency,  how 
much  greater,  think  ye,  must  be  the  condemnation  of 
those  who  set  at  naught  his  prerogative  to  institute 
and  ordain  the  service  of  the  sanctuary?  He  alone 
has  the  right  to  impose  religious  ordinances  ;  and  it  is 
but  the  reasonable  service  of  his  creatures  to  obey, 
implicitly,  his  righteous  mandates — the  sacred  injunc- 
tion, to  hallow  and  sanctify  his  holy  Sabbath.  "  Will 
a  man  rob  God  ?"  asks  the  Almighty,  through  his 
prophet ;  "  yet  ye  have  robbed  me,  saith  the  Holy 
One.  Ye  are  cursed  with  a  curse  ;  for  ye  have  rob- 
bed me,  even  this  whole  nation."  Mai.  2  :  8,  9. 
Where,  then,  will  you  find  your  excuse  for  this  per- 
version of  tlie  Word  of  God,  when  that  Word  shall 
come  to  judge  you  ?  for  it  is  the  Word,  the  written 
Word,  (given  to  be  a  lamp  unto  your  feet  and  a  light 
to^your  path,)  which  shall  judge  you  at  the  last  day. 
Of  old  it  was  said,  "  From  the  days  of  your  fathers 
ye  are  gone  astray  from  mine  ordinances,  and  have 
not  kept  them."  Mai.  3  :  7.  The  apostle  of  the 
Gentiles  speaks  of  those  in  his  day  who  corrupted  the 
Word.  2  Cor.  2  :  17.  In  another  place  it  is  asked, 
When  wilt  thou  cease  to  pervert  the  right  ways  of  the 
Lord  ?     Acts  13  :   10.      To  which   interrogation   all 


THE  BIBLE  SABBATH.  23 

are  obnoxious  who  seek  out  inventions  of  their  own, 
or  follow  "  the  commandments  of  men,"  which  sub- 
vert the  testimony  of  the  Lord. 

Canst  thou,  reader,  contend  with  the  Almighty  1  It 
is  a  fearful  thing  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  living 
God,  when  he  shall  lay  judgment  to  the  Hue,  and 
righteousness  to  the  plummet,  and  shall  sivecp  away 
the-  refuge  of  lies.  Isaiah  28  :  17.  The  true  prin- 
ciple, reader,  and  the  only  safe  principle,  is,  to  "  let 
God  be  true,  though  it  make  every  man  a  liarP  Rom. 
3:4.  "  Ye  are  my  friends,"  says  Christ,  "  if  ye  do 
whatsover  I  command  you."  John  14  :  15.  "  He 
that  saith,  I  know  him,  and  keepeth  not  his  command- 
ments, is  a  liar,  and  the  truth  is  not  in  him."  1  John 
2:4.  "  In  vain  do  they  worship  me,  teaching  for 
doctrine  the  commandments  of  men."  Matt.  15  :  9. 
"  What  thing  soever  I  command  you,  observe  to  do 
it ;  thou  shalt  not  add  thereto,  nor  diminish  from  it." 
Deut.  12  :  32.  "  Turn  not  from  it  to  the  right  hand 
or  to  the  left."  Josh.  1:7.  "  Add  not  unto  his 
words,  lest  he  reprove  thee,  and  thou  be  found  a  liar." 
Prov.  30  :  G.  "  If  any  man  shall  add  unto  these 
things,  God  shall  add  unto  him  the  plagues  that  are 
written  in  this  book  ;  and  if  any  man  shall  take  away 
from  the  words  of  this  prophecy,  God  shall  take  away 
his  part  out  of  the  book  of  life,  and  out  of  the  holy 
city,  and  from  the  things  that  are  written  in  this  book." 
Rev.  22  :  18,  19.  Ponder  well  this  subject,  reader, 
and  render  unto  God  the  things  that  are  God's,  that 
it  may  be  well  with  thee,  and  thou  be  admitted  into 
the  rest  reserved  for  those  who  "  delayed  not  to  keep 
the  commandments" — for  those  who  keep  his  cove- 
na^-  and  walk  in  the  way  of  the  Lord. 


No.   14. 

DELAYING  OBEDIENCE 


To  have  the  understanding  enlightened  in  regard 
to  duty,  and  the  conscience  so  thoroughly  awake 
as  to  make  one  feel  uneasy  in  the  neglect  of  it, 
and  yet  to  be  surrounded  with  advisers,  wearing  the 
name  and  title  of  Christians,  who  are  continually  urg- 
ing farther  delay,  is  about  as  uncomfortable  a  posi- 
tion as  a  person  of  fervent  piety  needs  to  be  placed 
in.  To  rebuke  such  advisers  in  the  faithfulness  of  the 
gospel,  and  yet,  at  the  same  time,  to  behave  towards 
them  with  becoming  meekness,  is  not  the  easiest  thing 
in  the  world.  Nevertheless,  the  idea  that  we  may 
postpone  our  obedience  to  God  for  a  little  season,  not- 
withstanding our  convictions,  is  not  to  be  tolerated. 

Suppose,  for  example,  that  a  person  becomes  con- 
vinced, that  it  is  his  duty  to  observe  the  Sabbath  of 
the  Bible — the  seventh  day  of  the  week.  Forthwith 
he  is  assailed  by  his  associates  with  the  suggestion, 
that  he  ought  not  to  be  in  a  hurry — that  he  ought  to 
take  plenty  of  time  for  consideration,  at  least  a  year. 
Plausible  as  such  advice  is,  we  offset  it  with  a  simple 
passage  of  Scripture.  "  I  thought  on  my  ways,  and 
turned  my  feet  unto  thy  testimonies;  I  made  haste, 
and  delayed  not  to  keep  thy  commandments."  Ps. 
119  :  59,  60.  Here  the  Psalmist  testifies,  that  he 
turned  his  feet  to  obedience,  so  soon  as,  by  thinkincr 
on  his  ways,  he  found  that  he  was  walking  astray. 
He  made  no  delay  about  it;  he  did  not  go  about  to 
consult  the  wise  men  of  the  nation ;  he  did  not  ex- 
amine the  writings  of  the  rabbis  and  doctors,  to  see 


2  DELAYING    OBEDIENCE. 

if  there  was  not  some  way  of  getting  round  the  duty  , 
he  made  haste  to  render  obedience.  But,  now-a-days, 
as  soon  as  a  person's  conscience  begins  to  lash  him 
for  neglected  duty,  he  is  advised  to  be  very  careful 
about  running  too  hastily.  Well,  we  would  not  wish 
one  to  be  too  hasty;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  it  may  be 
well  to  consider  whether  there  is  not  such  a  thing  as 
being  too  tardy.  Conviction  of  duty  is  not  to  be  trifled 
with.  When  any  one  does  violence  to  his  conviction, 
he  feels  that  he  disobeys  God ;  and  such  disobedience 
is  sure  to  be  followed  by  disastrous  results.  The 
voice  of  conscience  grows  more  feeble,  and  (if  the  dis- 
obedience be  persisted  in)  becomes,  at  length,  hushed 
in  silence.  It  may  continue  to  reprove  with  regard 
to  other  duties,  but  with  regard  to  that  particular  one 
which  has  been  made  the  object  of  willful  neglect,  it 
reproves  no  more.  As  a  necessary  consequence,  the 
soul  suffers  the  loss  of  all  those  blessings  which  obedi- 
ence in  that  one  thino^  would  brinsr. 

Nor  is  this  all.  Conscience,  having  yielded  to  cor- 
ruption in  one  instance,  becomes  ready  to  yield  in 
another.  Its  sternness  has  been  overcome,  and  it  no 
longer  guards  the  soul  with  that  security  which  it  had 
been  wont  to  do.  It  is  to  the  soul  what  the  sense  of 
modesty  is  to  the  female;  and,  as  the  female  cannot 
allow  her  sense  of  delicacy  to  be  trifled  with  without 
incurring  the  risk  of  a  total  loss  of  virtue,  so  the  con- 
science cannot,  in  a  single  instance,  be  abused,  without 
incurring  the  danger  of  becoming  "  seared  with  a  hot 
iron."  We  will  not  undertake  to  say,  that  this  is,  in 
every  case,  the  result ;  but  we  do  say,  that  there  is 
great  danger  of  it.  We  insist,  therefore,  that  when 
one  understands  what  is  duty,  he  ought  to  lose  no 
time  in  putting  it  in  practice.  Let  him  remember, 
too,  that  the  wrath  of  God  is  revealed  against  those 
"  who  hold  the  truth  in  unrighteousness."    Rom.  1 :  18. 


DELAYING    OKEDIENCE.  3 

But  the  possibility  that  one  may  be  mistaken  as  to 
his  duty,  is  often  urged  as  a  reason  for  delay.     There 
may  be  something  in  this  ;  at  least,  it  seems  plausible. 
Generally,  however,  this  objection  is  more  sjjecious 
than  solid.     At  all  events,  it  is  so  with  regard  to  those 
things  which  are  the  subject  of  direct  and  unequivocal 
command.     With  regard  to  the  Sabbath,  we  have  no 
hesitation  in  saying,  that  it  savors  of  "  the  wisdom  that 
is  earthly."     The  object  of  those  who  urge  it  is  to  in- 
duce a  deference  to  the  views  of  those  who  have  ac- 
quired great"  skill  in  explaining  away  the  divine  law. 
But    we    hold,  that   however    doubtful    may  be  the 
teachings  of  Scripture  with  regard  to  such  questions 
as  are  purely  doctrinal,  or  however  obscure  the  lan- 
guage in  which  its  prophecies  foretell  coming  events, 
with  regard  to  the  common,  practical  duties  of  life, 
tlie  Word  of  God  is  so  plain  that  there  is  no  need  for 
a  child  to  be  mistaken.     Were  it  otherwise,  it  would 
be  unsuited  to  the  wants  of  mankind.     For,  inasmuch 
as  every  one  must  give  account  for  himself,  and  not 
another  for  him,  it  is  necessary  that  each  one  should 
be  able  to  decide  his  duty   for  himself.     People  of 
small  intellectual  capacity  must  be  able  to  make  this 
decision,  as  well  as  those  of  more  expanded  powers  ; 
and  children,  as  well  as  those  of  mature  age.     Hence 
duty  must  be  revealed  in  very  simple  language.     And 
how  simple  the  language  in  which  our  duty  to  keep 
holy  the  Sabbath  day  is  revealed !     "  Remember  the 
Sabbath-day  to  keep  it  holy — the  seventh  day  is  the 
Sabbath.'"     Who  can  fail  to  understand  it?     What 
untutored  peasant  cannot  comprehend  it  ?   What  child 
does  not  perceive  its  meaning  1     The  command  to 
refrain    from  the  adoration  of  images   is  not  more 
plain.    Yet,  when  a  person  of  ordinary  mental  powers 
is  convinced  by  it,  and  begins  to  think  about  render- 
ing obedience,  straightway  he  is  admonished  that  he 


4  DELAYING    OBEDIENCE. 

does  not  understand  it,  and  that  he  would  do  well  to 
consult  some  learned  men,  some  spiritual  rabbis  or 
doctors  of  divinity,  before  taking  any  decided  steps! 
And  what  do  the  learned  doctors  say,  upon  being 
consulted  ?      Why,  that  it  is   the  duty  of  men  keep 
holy  the  first  day   of  the  week.     But  how  do  they 
make  it  appear?     Do  they  pioduce  any  precept  from 
tlie  Scripture,  plain  and  unequivocal,  like  the  fourth 
commandment  1     Not  by  any  means.     They  can  pre- 
sent nothing  wliich  is  level  to  the  comprehension  of  a 
child.     Whatever  they  say  on  the  subject,  is  entirely 
above   the   understanding  of  children,    and   entirely 
above  the  understanding  of  ignorant  people.     They 
talk  about  the  magnitude  of  redemption,  as  compared 
with  the  work  of  creation ;    they  have  something  to 
say  about  redemption  being  finished  on  the  first  day 
of  the  week,  by  the  resurrection  of  Christ  from  the 
dead  ;    they  lay  a  few  such  theological  propositions 
together,  and  finally  draw  out  the  inference,  that  the 
first  day  of  the  week  is  a  holy  day.     But  the  plain, 
ordinary  mind,  does  not  understand  this.     The  child 
fails  to  comprehend  it.     It  is  true,  he  hardly  dares  to 
indulge  the  thought  that  learned  men  may  be  mis- 
taken ;  nevertheless,  he  is  puzzled,   extremely  puz- 
zled, to  understand  it.     Is  not  this  conclusive  proof, 
that  no  such  duty  is  enjoined  in  the  Book  of  God  ? 
We  cannot,  therefore,  subscribe  to  the  idea,  that  a 
person  must,  in  reference  to  the  Sabbath,  or  in  refer- 
ence to  any  other  ])lain  command  of  Heaven,  wait  to 
consult  friends,  and  learned  teachers,  and  the  writings 
of  fallible  men,  befi)re  rendering  obedience.     If  God 
has  spoken,  "  see  that  ye  refuse  not  himrhtit  speaketh." 
We  do  not  believe  that  any  one  can  begin  to  obey  God 
too  soon. 

Published  by  the  American  i-^AnsATH  Tract  SociExr, 
No.  9  Spnice-.-treet,  N.  Y. 


[No.  15.] 
AN   APPEAL 

FOR    THE 

RESTORATION    Of   THE    BIBLE    SABBATH; 

IN    AN 

ADDRESS  TO  THE  BAPTISTS, 

FROM 

THE   SEVENTH-DAY   BAPTIST   GENERAL   CONFERENCE. 


NEW  YORK  : 

PUBLISHED  RY  THE  A^IEPJCAN  SA1<BATH  TRACT  .-'OCIETy, 
N(5.  9  S))ni(t'-Str!  ft. 

18.52. 


THE   ADDRESS 


The  Seventh-day  Baptist  General  Conference,  to  the  Mem- 
bers of  the  Baptist  Denomination  througliont  the  United 
States,  holding  to  the  Observance  of  the  First  Day  of 
the  Week  as  a  Divine  Institution : 

Beloved  Brethren  : — 

When  our  Divine  Redeemer  dwelt  on  earth,  he 
prayed  that  all  his  disciples  might  be  "  made  perfect 
in  one."  As  this  prayer  was  in  harmony  with  the 
sure  word  of  prophecy,  which  instructs  us  to  look  for 
a  time  when  "  the  watchmen  shall  see  eye  to  eye,  and 
sing  with  united  voice,"  we  are  sure  that  it  will  ulti- 
mately be  answered.  We  see  nothing,  however,  to 
warrant  us  in  looking  for  such  a  happy  consummation, 
while  we  contemplate  the  multiplied  divisions  of  the 
Christian  world,  perpetuated  as  they  are  by  the  sel- 
fishness of  human  nature.  Here  the  prospect  is  dark 
indeed.  But  we  have  an  unshaken  confidence  in  the 
power  of  God  to  bring  about  his  own  purposes,  not- 
withstanding all  the  devices  of  men.  "  The  hearts  of 
all  are  in  his  hands,  and  he  turneth  them  whitherso- 
ever he  will."  He  that  made  "  the  multitude  of  one 
heart  and  of  one  soul,"  in  the  first  age  of  the  church, 
can  again  concentrate  his  scattered  bands,  break  down 
every  wall  of  separation,  and  enlighten  every  mind  by 
the  effusion  of  his  Spirit.  Then  shall  Zion  move  forth, 
"  clear  as  the  sun,  and  terrible  as  an  army  with  ban 
ners." 


4  APPEAL    FOR    THE    SARBATH : 

We  rejoice,  brethren,  that  you,  as  well  as  ourselves, 
are  looking  for  this  day  of  glory.  INIoreover,  we  have 
knowledge  of  your  firm  persuasion,  that  this  glorious 
union  of  the  now  scattered  forces  of  Israel,  can  be 
effected  only  upon  the  basis  of  divine  truth.  With  a 
single  gUuice  you  see  the  fallacy  of  that  reasoning, 
which  calls  upon  you,  for  the  sake  of  union,  to  sacrifice 
the  least  particle  of  God's  Word.  Taught  by  the  Spirit 
of  God,  you  have  learned  that  the  smallest  atom  of  truth 
is  more  precious  than  fine  gold.  That  meager  piety 
which  finds  "  non-essentials  "  in  the  appointments  of 
Jehovah,  you  cannot  abide.  Your  language  is,  "  We 
esteem  all  tlij^  precepts  concerning  all  things  to  be 
right,  and  we  hate  every  false  way." 

We  know,  moreover,  that  it  is  the  desire  of  your 
hearts,  that  all  dissensions  between  Christians  should 
be  for  ever  ended.  For  this  object  you  are  laboring 
and  praying ;  and  while  you  are  doing  so,  you  have 
the  enlightened  conviction,  that  your  labors  and  prayers 
will  be  successful,  in  proportion  to  the  amount  of  truth 
with  which  your  own  minds  are  imbued,  and  which 
you  can  bring  to  bear  upon  the  minds  of  others.  La- 
boring as  you  do  to  expound  to  others  the  wa}'  of  the 
Lord  more  perfectly,  we  cannot  suppose  that  you  are 
yourselves  unwilling  to  learn.  We  therefore  approach 
you  with  confidence,  affectionately  and  earnestly  re- 
questing you  to  take  into  consideration  the  subject 
which  is  the  only  ground  of  difference  between  you 
and  us.  In  our  estimation,  it  is  a  subject  of  great  im- 
portance ;  and  though  some  of  you  have  made  it  a 
matter  of  thought,  we  are  persuaded  that  the  great 
body  of  your  denomination  have  dismissed  it  without 
any  particular  investigation.  Indeed,  we  speak  not 
unadvisedly  when  we  say,  that  on  this  question  the 
whole  church  of  God  have  been  hushed  to  sleep.  In 
urging  it  upon  your  attention,  we  think  you  will  not 


ADDRESSED    TO    THE    BAPTISTS.  5 

char[Te  us  with  wishing  to  raise  disturbance  in  Zion. 
We  indulo^e  the  hope  that  you  will  impute  to  us  the 
same  disinterestedness  of  motive  by  which  you  your- 
selves are  actuated  when  you  boldly  proclnim  your 
denominational  sentiments  upon  every  higli  place,  and 
scatter  your  publications  in  every  direction.  Your 
course  springs  not  from  any  wish  to  foment  disturb- 
ance, but  from  the  pain  which  your  hearts  feel  to  see 
the  institutions  of  Christ  made  void  by  the  traditions 
of  men.  Our  action  in  this  matter  springs  from  the 
same  principle.  We  feel  in  regard  to  the  Sabbath 
just  as  you  do  in  regard  to  baptism.  We  declare  be- 
fore God  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  we  are 
moved  by  a  desire  for  your  good  and  God's  glory. 

Wlien  we  look  over  your  large  and  influential  de- 
nomination, we  find  that,  in  reference  to  the  subject 
upon  which  we  now  address  you,  you  are  divided  into 
about  three  classes.  I.  Those  who,  acknowledging 
the  pei-petuity  of  the  Sabbath  law,  enforce  the  observ- 
ance of  the  Sabbath  by  the  fourth  commandment,  but 
change  the  day  of  its  celebration  from  the  seventh  to 
the  first  day  of  the  week.  II.  Those  who  see  the  im- 
possibility of  proving  a  change  of  the  day,  and  there- 
fore regard  the  commandment  as  abolished  by  the 
death  of  Christ.  But,  at  the  same  time,  they  consider 
the  first  day  of  the  week  as  an  institution  entirely  new, 
to  be  regulated  as  to  its  observance  wholly  by  the  New 
Testament.  III.  Those  who  consider  neither  the  Old 
nor  the  New  Testament  to  impose  any  obligation  upon 
them  to  observe  a  day  of  rest,  and  advocate  one  merely 
on  the  ^ound  of  expediency. 

I.  To  those  of  you  who  acknowledge  the  obligation 
of  a  Sabbath,  but  change  the  day  of  its  celebration 
from  the  seventh  to  the  Jirst  day  of  the  week,  we 
would  say,  that  while  from  the  Law  only  you  infei 


6  APPEAL    FOR    THE    SABBATH: 

any  obligation  to  sabbatize  at  all,  yet  make  the  partic- 
ular time  of  sabbatizing  to  stand  upon  New  Testa- 
ment authority,  we  do  not  see  how  you  can  i^elieve 
yourselves  from  the  charge  of  departing  from  the 
great  principle  contended  for  by  Baptists,  viz.  That 
whatever  is  commanded  by  an  institution,  is  to  be 
learned  from  the  law  of  the  institution,  and  not  from 
ther  sources.  On  this  principle,  you  reject  the  logic 
of  Pedobaptists,  who,  while  they  find  the  ordinance 
of  baptism  in  the  New  Testament,  go  back  to  the  law 
of  circumcision  to  determine  the  subjects.  You  tell 
them,  and  very  justly  too,  that  the  laiv  of  the  institu- 
tion is  the  only  rule  of  obedience.  But  do  you  not 
fall  into  the  same  error  when  the  argument  has  re- 
spect to  the  Sabbath  ?  We  can  see  no  more  fitness 
in  applying  the  law  of  the  Sabbath  to  the  first  day  of 
the  week,  than  in  applying  the  law  of  circumcision  to 
the  subjects  of  baptism.  For  the  law  of  circumcision 
was  not  more  expressly  confined  to  the  fleshly  seed  of 
Abraham,  than  was  the  law  of  the  Sabbath  to  the  sev- 
enth day  of  the  week.  The  true  principle  is,  that 
every  institution  is  to  be  explained  and  regulated  by 
its  own  law.  Therefore,  if  the  first  day  of  the  week 
is  an  institution  binding  upon  us,  the  law  to  regulate 
its  observance  should  he  looked  for  where  we  find  the 
institution.  Be  pleased,  brethren,  to  review  this  ar- 
gument, and  see  if  you  are  not  treading  on  Pedobap- 
tist  ground. 

In  justification  of  this  change  of  the  day,  we  often 
hear  you  plead  the  example  of  Christ  and  his  apostles. 
But  where  do  we  find  any  thing  to  this  effect  jn  their 
example  1  Did  the  apostles  sabbatize  on  the  first  day 
of  the  week  ?  Did  the  churches  which  were  organ- 
ized by  them  do  so  1  Observe,  the  question  -between 
you  and  us  is  not,  Did  they  ineet  together  and  hold 
worship  on  that  day  ?  but,   Did  they  sabbatize  ?  that 


ADDRESSED    TO    THE    BAPTISTS.  / 

is,  Did  they  rest  from  their  labor  on  the  first  day 
of  the  week  1  Did  they  observe  it  as  a  Sabbath  1 
This  is  the  true  issue.  We  have  often  asked  this 
question,  but  the  only  answer  tliat  we  have  received 
has  been,  f/iaf  they  assembled  for  worship.  But  this 
is  not  a  candid  way  of  meeting  the  point.  It  is  in  re- 
ahty  an  answer  to  a  very  different  question  from  the 
one  we  ask.  Brethren,  act  out  your  own  principles. 
Come  up  fairly  to  the  question.  When  you  ask  a 
Pedobaptist,  Did  Christ  baptize  or  authorize  the  bap- 
tism of  little  children  1  you  expect  him  to  make  some 
other  reply  than,  "  He  put  his  hands  on  them  and 
prayed.^'  When  you  ask.  Did  the  apostles  baptize 
unconscious  babes  ?  you  are  not  well  pleased  with  the 
reply,  They  baptized  households.  Your  question  was 
with  regard  to  infants — the  baptism  of  them.  If, 
therefore,  when  we  ask  you,  Did  the  apostles  and 
primitive  Christians  sabbatize  on  the  first  day  of  the 
week]  you  merely  reply  as  above,  we  do  not  see  but 
you  are  guilty  of  the  very  same  sophistry  you  are  so 
ready  to  charge  upon  your  Pedobaptist  brethreij. 
Your  adroit  evasion  of  the  real  question  seems  to 
place  you  much  in  the  same  predicament  as  were  the 
Pharisees,  when  Christ  asked  them  whence  was  the 
baptism  of  John.  It  appears  as  if  you  reasoned  with 
yourselves,  and  said,  "  If  we  shall  say  they  did  sabba- 
tize on  the  first  day  of  the  week,  the  evidence  will  be 
called  for,  and  we  cannot  find  it ;  but  if  we  shall  say 
they  did  not,  we  fear  the  day  will  lose  its  sacredness 
in  the  eyes  of  the  people."  We  do  not  by  any  means 
wish  to  charge  you  with  a  Pharisaic  lack  of  principle, 
but  we  put  it  to  your  sober  judgment,  whether  your 
position  is  not  an  awkward  one.  Brethren,  reconsider 
•this  point,  and  see  if  you  are  not  on  Pedobaptist 
ground. 

If  the  apostles  did  not  sabbatize  on  the  first  day  of 


8  APPEAL    FOR    THE    SABBATH: 

the  week,  then  it  follows,  as  a  matter  of  course,  thai. 
whatever  notoriety  or  dignity  belonged  to  that  day, 
they  did  not  regard  it  as  a  substitute  for  the  Sabbath. 
Consequently,  unless  the  Sabbath  law  was  entirely  ab- 
rogated by  the  death  of  Christ,  the  old  Sabbath,  as 
instituted  in  Paradise,  and  rehearsed  from  Sinai,  con- 
tinues yet  binding,  as  "  the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord  thy 
God." 

But  more  than  this.  Even  if  it  could  be  proved, 
♦^hat  the  apostles  and  primitive  Christians  did  actually 
regard  the  first  day  of  the  week  as  a  Sahbath,  it 
would  not  follow  that  the  old  Sabbath  is  no  longer  in 
force,  unless  it  could  be  proved  that  they  considered 
the  new  as  a  substitute  for  the  old ;  or,  that  so  far 
as  the  particular  day  was  concerned,  it  was  of  a  cer- 
emonial character.  But  where  do  we  find  proof  for 
either  of  these  points  ?  In  the  whole  record  of  the 
transactions  and  teachings  of  the  apostles,  where  do 
we  find  this  idea  of  suhstitution  ?  No  where.  Where 
do  we  find  evidence  that,  so  far  as  the  particular  day 
was  concerned,  it  was  ceremonial,  and  therefore  to 
cease  at  the  death  of  Christ  ?  No  where.  The  argu- 
ment that  proves  the  Sabbath  law  not  to  be  ceremo- 
nial, proves  the  same  of  the  day.  Did  the  Sab- 
bath law  originate  in  Paradise,  when  man  was  inno- 
cent, and  had  no  need  of  a  Redeemer  ?  So  did  the 
day.  It  was  then  sanctified  and  blessed.  Does  the 
Sabbath  law  take  cognizance  of  the  relation  on  which 
all  the  precepts  of  the  moral  law  are  founded,  viz. 
the  relation  we  sustain  to  Ood.di^  creatu7-es  to  Creator? 
So  does  the  day.  It  is  a  memorial  of  this  relation,  and 
of  the  rest  entered  into  by  God  after  he,  by  his  work, 
had  established  the  relation.  It  appears,  then,  that 
neither  the  Sabbath  laiv,  nor  the  day  it  enjoins,  was , 
of  a  ceremonial  character.  True,  it  is  not  moral,  in 
the  strictest  sense,  but  rather  positive.     Nevertheless, 


ADDRESSED    TO    THE    BAPTISTS.  9 

by  divine  appointment  it  is  in  the  same  category  with 
the  moral  law,  and  must  be  considered  a  part  of  it. 
If  this  reasoning  is  correct — and  if  it  is  not,  we  hope 
you  will  point  it  out — it  would  not  follow  that  the  old 
Sabbath  is  done  away,  because  Christ  and  his  apostles 
sabbatized  on  the  first  day  of  the  week  ;  but  only  that 
there  are  two  Sabbaths  instead  of  one. 

But  could  Christ  or  his  apostles  consistently  alter 
the  law  of  the  Sabbath  ?  In  all  his  ministry,  Christ 
acted  under  the  appointment  of  the  Father,  and  ac- 
cording to  such  restrictions  as  were  contained  in  the 
law  and  the  prophets.  By  those  restrictions,  no  laws 
were  to  be  set  aside  at  his  coming,  except  such  as 
were  peculiar  to  the  Jewish  economy  ;  such  as 
"  meats,  and  drinks,  and  divers  washings,  and  carnal 
ordinances,  imposed  until  the  time  of  reformation." 
Heb.  9  :  10.  To  set  aside  these,  the  law  gave  the 
Messiah  an  express  grant.  Heb.  10 :  9.  But  the 
very  moment  he  should  attempt  to  go  beyond  the 
limits  of  that  grant,  he  would  desti'oy  all  evidence 
of  his  being  the  Messiah  promised  and  appointed. 
For  it  was  by  his  exact  conformity  to  the  law,  that  his 
claims  were  established.  Hence,  early  in  his  minis- 
try, he  declared  that  he  "  came  not  to  destroy  the  law 
or  the  prophets."  Matt.  5  :  17.  Most  cheerfully  do 
we  recognize  him  as  God  over  all,  and  blessed  forever; 
yet  we  are  well  satisfied  that,  even  in  virtue  of  his 
divinity,  he  could  not  consistently  set  aside  any  laws 
except  those  which  were  "•  a  shadow  of  thmgs  to 
come."  Otherwise  we  should  have  God  denying  him- 
self— God  contradicting  himself!  The  New  Testa- 
ment records  not  a  single  instance  of  his  claiming  a 
right  to  do  so.  When  he  avowed  himself  Lord  of  the 
Sabbath,  he  only  claimed  to  determine  what  was  the 
proper  method  of  keeping  it — what  wer^  breaches  of 
it,  and  what  were  not.     The  Sabbath  was  made  for 


10  APPEAL  FOR  THE  SABBATH: 

man,  and  consequently  it  was  his  prerogative  to  decide 
what  acts  and  duties  answered  to  the  nature  and  de- 
sign of  the  institution.  Therefore,  the  Son  of  Man  is 
Lord  of  the  Sabbath.     Mark  2  :  28. 

In  regard  to  the  obligation  resulting  from  apostolic 
example,  it  appears  to  us  that  you  have  fallen  into 
some  errors.  We  are  not  convinced  that  the  exam- 
ple of  the  apostles  can  be  justly  pleaded  for  any  thing 
else  than  the  order  and  arrangement  of  the  church. 
However  proper  it  may  be  to  imitate  them  in  other 
respects — in  the  duties  of  the  moral  law,  for  instance 
— yet,  if  it  were  not  known  to  be  proper,  independent 
of  their  example,  we  cannot  suppose  their  example 
would  make  it  so.  We  must  first  ascertain,  by  some 
settled  and  infallible  rule,  whether  their  practice  is 
worthy  of  imitation.  In  regard  to  the  ordering  of 
church  affairs,  there  can  be  no  doubt,  for  they  were 
sent  upon  this  very  errand,  with  the  promise  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  qualify  them  for  the  work.  But  the 
Sabbath  is  not  a  church  ordinance.  It  is  not  an  insti- 
tution for  the  church  as  such,  but  for  all  mankind. 
All  reasoning  with  reference  to  it,  from  apostolic  ex- 
ample, must  therefore  be  very  inconclusive.  Even  if 
we  should  admit  that  the  church  is  bound  by  such  ex- 
ample to  regard  the  first  day  of  the  week,  yet  this 
is  the  utmost  extent  to  which  our  admissions  can  go. 
We  cannot  see  how  the  institution  becomes  binding 
upon  the  world  at  large.  Consequently,  we  are  com- 
pelled to  maintain,  that  an  institution  which  was  origi- 
nally given  for  all  mankind,  remains  unaltered.  We 
are  willing  that  the  example  and  practice  of  the  apos- 
tles should  regulate  the  church  as  to  its  ordinances 
and  government,  and  herein  we  claim  to  follow  them 
as  strictly  as  you  do  ;  but  when  they  are  pleaded  for 
any  thing  more,  we  want  first  to  know  whether  they 
conform  to  the  express  law  of  God.     Otherwise  we 


ADDRESSED    TO    THE    BAPTISTS.  11 

must  consider  them  as  no  more  binding  than  an  apos- 
tle's qnarrel  with  Barnabas.     Acts  15:   39. 

If  this  argument  is  well  founded,  we  are  led  to  a 
very  satisfactory  disposal  of  a  question  often  proposed, 
viz.,  Why  do  we  never  read  in  the  New  Testament 
of  Christian  assemblies  being  convened  as  such  on  the 
Sabbath  1  For  if  the  Sabbath  be  not  a  church  ordi- 
nance, but  an  institution  for  mankind  at  large,  it  can 
be  of  no  importance  for  us  to  know  what  Christian 
assemblies  as  such  did  with  regard  to  it.  All  that  is 
of  real  importance  for  us  to  know,  is  the  precise  bear- 
ing of  the  institution  upon  man  as  man — upon  man  as 
a  rational  and  accountable  creature.  On  this  point  the 
information  is  clear  and  decisive. 

The  controversy  between  us  and  you  appears  to 
be  brought  downi  to  a  very  narrow  compass.  Did  the 
Apostles  and  primitive  Christians  sahhatize  on  the  first 
day  of  the  week  ]  And,  Is  it  the  duty  of  all  men  to 
imitate  their  example,  or  only  the  Church  ?  If,  upon 
a  solemn  and  prayerful  consideration  of  this  subject, 
you  are  persuaded  that  there  is  no  proof  that  the  early 
Christians  regarded  the  first  day  as  a  Sabbath,  (sub- 
stituted in  place  of  the  seventh,)  and  will  honestly 
avow  your  conviction,  we  have  no  fear  that  the  con- 
troversy will  be  prolonged.  For,  sliould  you  still  be 
of  opinion  that  some  sort  of  notoriety  was  attached  to 
the  day,  and  that  Christians  met  for  worship,  we  shall 
not  be  very  solicitous  to  dispute  the  point.  The  apos- 
tolic rule,  "  Let  every  man  be  fully  persuaded  in  his 
own  mind,"  will  then  govern  us.  See  Rom.  14  :  5,  6. 
Our  concern  is  not  that  you  keep  the  first  day  of  the 
week,  but  that  you  keep  it  in  place  of  the  Sahbath, 
thus  making  void  the  commandment  of  God.  If  once 
you  discover,  that  Sunday  is  not  the  Sabbath  by  divine 
appointment,  and  therefore  cannot  be  enforced  upon 
the  conscience,  we  are  persuaded  that  your  deep  sense 


12  APPEAL  FOR  THE  SABBATH: 

of  the  necessity  of  such  an  institution,  will  soon  bring 
you  to  the  observance  of  the  one  originally  appointed. 

II.  But  we  proceed  to  address  those  of  you  who 
regard  the  sabbatic  law  as  having  been  nailed  to  the 
cross,  and  consider  the  first  day  of  the  week  as  an 
institution  entirely  new,  regulated  as  to  its  observance 
wholly  by  the  New  Testament. 

You,  whom  we  now  address,  are  exempt  from  some 
of  the  inconsistencies  which  we  have  exposed ;  but 
your  theory  labors  under  very  serious  difficulties,  and 
is  to  be  regarded,  on  the  whole,  as  more  obnoxious  to 
the  interests  of  religion,  than  the  one  we  have  been 
considering. 

According  to  your  position,  the  New  Testament  re- 
cognizes no  Sabbath  at  all.  Do  not  start  at  this 
charge.  That  it  is  repugnant  to  your  feelings,  we 
allow.  You  have  never  thought  of  any  thing  else  than 
entire  abstinence  from  labor  on  the  first  day  of  the 
week.  It  is  your  day  of  rest,  as  well  as  worship. 
But  on  what  ground  do  you  make  it  a  day  of  rest  ? 
What  example  have  ycu  for  doing  so  1  What  law  of 
the  New  Testament  requires  you  to  lay  aside  all  your 
secular  business  1  As  sin  is  the  transgression  of  the 
law,  and  where  no  law  is  there  is  no  transgression — 
1  John  3:4,  Rom.  4 :  15 — how  do  you  make  it  ap- 
pear to  be  sin  to  work  on  the  day  in  question  ?  It  is 
by  the  commandment  that  sin  becomes  exceeding  sin- 
ful. Rom.  7  :  13.  By  what  commandment  do  you 
make  it  appear  sinful  to  work  on  Sunday  ?  These 
are  questions  of  the  highest  importance. 

Now  suppose  one  of  your  brethren  attends  public 
worship  on  the  first  day  of  the  week,  and — to  make 
his  conformity  to  what  is  supposed  to  be  apostolic  ex- 
ample as  perfect  as  possible — participates  in  the  break- 
ing of  bread.     E&e  then  goes  home,  and  labors  dili- 


ADDRESSED    TO    THE    BAPTISTS.  13 

gently  till  the  day  is  closed.  By  what  law  will  you 
convince  him  of  sin  ?  Not  the  law  of  the  Sabbath  as 
contained  in  the  Decalogue,  for  that  you  hold  to  be 
abolished.  Not  any  law  of  the  New  Testament  which 
says,  "  Keep  the  first  day  of  the  week  holy  ;  in  it  thou 
shalt  not  do  any  work,"  for  there  is  no  such  law.  Not 
the  law  of  apostolic  example,  for  there  is  no  proof  that 
the  apostles  ever  gave  such  example.  The  very 
utmost  that  you  can  with  any  show  of  reason  pretend 
of  their  e5:ample  is,  that  they  met  together  for  wor- 
ship and  breaking  of  bread.  To  this  example  your 
brother  has  conformed  to  the  very  letter — who  can 
say  he  has  not  in  spirit  also  1  What  now  will  you  do 
with  him  ?  "  The  Bible,  and  the  Bible  only,  is  the  re- 
ligion of  Protestants."  The  Bible,  therefore,  is  the 
Rule  by  which  he  is  to  be  tried.  Convict  him  of  sin 
by  this  Rule,  if  you  can. 

But  the  case  becomes  still  more  difficult,  when  you 
come  to  apply  it  to  those  who  are  without  the  pale  of 
the  church.  We  have  already  seen,  that  apostolic  ex- 
ample concerns  merely  the  ordering  and  arrangement 
of  the  cJiurcJi.  Attempt  now  to  convince  the  unbe- 
liever of  sin  in  working  on  the  first  day  of  the  week. 
In  order  to  do  this,  charge  apostolic  example  upon 
him.  What  is  his  reply"?  "I  know  not,"  says  he, 
"  that  I  am  bound  to  imitate  them  in  this  matter.  How 
does  it  appear  that  I  am  ?  I  will  admit,  for  argu- 
ment's sake,  that  they  celebrated  the  resurrection  on 
Sunday  by  religious  worship  ;  but  they  also  broke 
bread  and  partook  of  it  by  way  of  celebrating  his 
death.  If  their  example  binds  me  in  one  particular, 
why  not  in  the  other  1  Prove  to  me,"  says  he,  "  that 
any  but  the  church  assembled  on  the  first  day  for  wor- 
ship, and  I  will  do  so  too.  But  in  the  absence  of  all 
such  proof,  I  must  conclude  that  their  example  has 
nothing  to  do  with  me ;  unless,  indeed,  you  can  make 
2 


14  APPEAL  FOR  THE  SABBATH: 

it  appear,  that  their  example  and  practice  were  in  con- 
formity to  some  law,  which  commanded  hem  as  ra- 
tional creatures,  independent  of  their  relation  to  Christ 
and  his  church.  When  you  can  produce  that  law,  then 
I  shall  feel  bound  to  obey  it,  and  imitate  tlie  apostles 
in  their  obedience  to  it ;  but  not  till  then."  Such  is 
the  reasoning  by  which  an  unbeliever  may  set  aside 
all  your  attempts  to  charge  sin  upon  him.  "WHiere, 
brethren,  is  your  law  which,  like  a  barbed  arrow, 
pierces  the  very  soul,  and  fastens  guilt  upon  the  con- 
science 1  Where  is  that  law  which  speaks  out  its 
thunders,  saying,  "  Thus  saith  the  Almighty  God,  the 
Lord,  the  Maker  of  heaven  and  earth,  It  is  the  Sab- 
bath day ;  in  it  thou  shalt  not  do  any  work  ]"  To  throw 
aside  the  law,  which  cuts  and  flames  every  way,  reach- 
ing soul  and  spirit,  joints  and  marrow,  in  order  to  deal 
with  the  ungodly  by  mere  apostolic  example,  is  like 
muffling  the  sword,  lest  it  should  give  a  deadly  wound. 
Apostolic  example  is  indeed  powerful  with  those  whose 
hearts  have  been  made  tender  by  the  Spirit  of  God, 
but  with  others  powerless. 

We  are  persuaded,  brethren,  that  your  conscientious 
scruples  about  laboring  on  the  first  day  of  the  week, 
never  resulted  fiom  the  mere  contemplation  of  apos- 
tolic example.  Such  example,  it  is  true,  is  all  the  law 
you  acknowledge;  but  this  is  the  theory  you  have 
adopted  since  you  came  to  maturity,  and  began  to 
think  for  yourselves.  Your  scruples  have  an  earlier 
and  different  origin.  They  commenced  with  your 
childhood,  when  you  were  taught  to  consider  the  day 
as  holy  time.  It  was  then  carefully  instilled  into  your 
mind,  that  God  had,  by  express  law,  forbidden  you  to 
desecrate  the  day,  and  that  you  would  incur  his  dis- 
pleasure in  case  you  should  do  so.  The  idea  was  then 
imbibed,  that  if  you  did  not  keep  the  day,  you  would 
violate  the  fourth    commandment.      This    idea  has 


ADDRESSED    TO    THE    BAPTISTS.  15 

grown  with  your  growth,  and  strengthened  with  your 
strength.  It  has  obtained  such  commanding  influence 
over  your  feehngs,  that  you  cannot  comf5:)rtably  forbear 
keeping  a  day  of  rest,  though  your  theory  does  not 
require  it.  Even  to  this  day  a  strong  impression  rests 
upon  your  minds,  that  the  fourth  commandment  con- 
tains much  of  moral  excellence — too  much  to  be 
thrown  altogether  away,  notwithstanding  your  system 
of  theology  teaches  its  abrogation.  Such  is  the  true 
secret  of  your  tenderness  of  conscience.  Apostolic 
example  has  in  reality  nothing  to  do  with  it.  Follow- 
ing the  secret  monitions  of  conscience,  your  prosperity 
is  promoted  in  spite  of  your  theological  system.  But 
sound  reason  discovers,  that  your  experience  and  your 
theory  are  in  opposition  to  each  other.  Some  of  the 
more  thinking  ones  among  you  are  aware  of  this,  and 
are  continually  aiming  at  such  a  modification  of  their 
theory,  that  their  experience  will  harmonize  with 
it.  But  be  assured,  that  there  will  be  an  everlasting 
conflict,  till  you  are  brought  to  acknowledge  fully  and 
heartily  the  claims  of  the  sabbatic  law. 

We  are  aware  of  that  system  of  theology  which 
regards  the  New  Testament  as  furnishing  the  only 
code  of  laws  by  which  men  are  bound  since  the  death 
of  Christ.  We  have  looked  at  this  doctrine  with  at- 
tention ;  and  so  far  as  the  order,  government,  and  or- 
dinances of  the  church  are  concerned,  we  admit  its 
truth.  As  the  laws  and  ordinances  of  the  Jewish  church 
were  determined  by  the  Old  Testament,  so  the  laws 
and  ordinances  of  the  Christian  church  are  determin- 
ed solely  by  the  New  Testament.  Therefore,  we 
should  say  at  once,  the  argument  is  yours,  if  the  Sab- 
bath were  a  church  ordinance.  In  such  case,  howev- 
er, none  but  the  church  has  a  Sabbath.  But  the 
question  is  not  concerning  church  ordinances.  In 
these  we  follow  the   New  Testament  as   closely   as 


16  APPEAL    FOR    TilE    SABBATH: 

yourselves.  The  question  is  concerning  an  institution 
which  has  respect  to  mankind  at  large — to  man  as 
man  ;  for  the  Saviour  teaches  us  that  the  Sabbath  was 
made  fur  man.  Now,  it  will  be  a  very  hard  matter  to 
prove,  that  when  men  as  rational  creatures  are  con- 
cerned, tlie  only  code  of  laws  by  which  they  are  bound 
is  the  New  Testament.  Let  us  put  the  matter  to  the 
test.  How  will  you  prove  that  it  is  unlawful  for  a  man 
to  marry  his  sister,  his  daughter,  or  any  other  of  near 
kin  ?  The  New  Testament  utters  not  a  word  on  the 
subject.  It  is  not  enough  to  say.  It  is  implied  in  the 
law  which  forbids  adultery ;  for  it  must  first  be  prov- 
ed to  be  a  species  of  adultery  to  do  so.  Nor  will  it 
do  to  say,  The  common  sense  of  mankind  is  a  sufficient 
law  on  the  subject ;  for  the  moment  we  suppose  that 
its  unlawfulness  is  to  be  determined  in  this  way,  we 
abandon  the  argument  that  the  New  Testament  is  the 
oiily  code  of  laws,  and  resort  to  the  common  sense  of 
mankind  as  furnishing  a  part  of  the  code.  But  if  the 
common  sense  of  mankind  shall  furnish  a  part  of  the 
code  by  which  we  are  bound,  who  shall  undertake  to 
say  how  large  a  part  1  Besides,  on  this  principle,  the 
book  of  divine  revelation  is  not  complete  and  perfect. 
It  is  a  lamp  to  our  feet  only  in  part,  arid  the  common 
sense  of  mankind  makes  out  the  deficiency  !  You 
are,  therefore,  driven  to  take  your  stand  again  upon 
the  New  Testament.  Finding  you  there  again,  we 
repeat  the  question.  How  do  you  prove  hy  your  code 
that  a  man  may  not  marry  his  sister  ?  It  is  impossi- 
ble. You  must,  of  necessity,  look  to  that  division  of 
the  Scriptures  usually  called  the  Old  Testament ;  for 
the  New  says  not  one  word  about  it. 

Let  us  turn  now  to  the  ISth  chapter  of  the  book  of 
Leviticus,  and  we  shall  find  a  collection  of  laws  ex- 
actly to  the  point.  "  None  of  you  shall  approach  to 
any  that  is  near  of  kin  to  him,"  &c.  v.  6.     The  de- 


ADDRESSED    TO    THE    BAPTISTS,  17 

grees  of  kindred  are  then  expressly  marked.  Will  it 
be  objected,  that  these  laws  were  given  particularly  to 
the  Jews,  and  to  no  other  people  ?  We  admit  they 
were  given  to  the  Jews,  as  indeed  was  the  whole  sys- 
tem of  revelation  in  that  age ;  but  we  cannot  admit 
that  they  concerned  no  other  class  of  people.  For  it 
is  expressly  shown  in  that  chapter,  that  the  matters  of 
which  they  took  cognizance,  were  regarded  as  abom- 
inatioiK  in  the  Gentiles.  Because  of  such  things,  the 
fierce  wrath  of  Jehovah  came  down  upon  the  Canaan- 
ites,  and  they  were  cast  out  fi^om  the  land  as  loath- 
someness. V.  24,  30.  If  these  things  were  viewed 
as  abominable  in  the  Canaanites,  they  surely  were  not 
ceremonial  pollutions.  They  were  not  mere  Jewish 
laws.  Th-e  fallacy  of  the  docti^ine  is  therefore  suffi- 
ciently exposed. 

We  think  you  have  fallen  into  error  concerning  the 
nature  and  design  of  that  division  of  the  Scriptures 
commonly  called  the  New  Testament.  We  regard  it 
not  as  the  Laiv  Book  of  mankind,  in  the  strict  and 
proper  sense;  but  rather  as  a  Treatise  on  Justification, 
or  an  Expose  of  the  Way  of  Salvation,  in  which  are 
contained  such  references  to  the  law,  and  such  quota- 
tions from  it,  as  are  necessary  to  the  complete  eluci- 
dation of  the  subject.  The  preparation  of  this  treat- 
ise was  of  necessity  delayed  until  the  great  Sacrifice 
for  sin  had  been  offered,  and  our  High  Priest  had  en- 
tered into  the  holy  place.  For,  as  the  sacrifice  and  in- 
tercession of  our  High  Priest  constitute  the  sole  found- 
ation of  our  justification,  so  "  the  way  into  the  holiest 
of  all  was  not  yet  made  manifest,  while  the  first  tab- 
ernacle was  yet  standing."  Heb.  9:8.  So  much  of 
the  plan  of  salvation  was  illustrated  to  the  people,  as 
could  be  by  means  of  the  ritual  service ;  and  that,  to- 
gether with  the  prophecies,  laid  a  foundation  for  them 
to  believe  that,  in  some  way  or  other,  they  would  be 


18  APPEAL  FOR  THE  SABBATH: 

just  before  God.  So  that  hy  faith  the  patriarchs  were 
justified.  Heb.  11.  They  knew  it  was  to  be  somehow 
through  the  work  of  Him  who  was  typified  and  prom- 
iised  as  the  gi'eat  Redeemer.  But  they  could  not  un- 
derstand the  plan  until  the  Redeemer  came  and  died 
for  them. 

Because  this  expose  of  the  way  of  salvation  could 
not  be  made  until  after  the  death  of  the  High  Priest, 
therefore  it  was  not  proper  to  organize  gospel  churches. 
The  only  church  that  was  suitable  for  that  age  was 
found  in  the  Jewish  nation,  and  from  its  very  nature 
was  unfit  for  the  world  at  large.  It  was,  therefore, 
confined  to  that  people.  Moreover,  because  it  was 
not  proper  to  organize  gospel  churches  until  the  way 
of  salvation  was  fully  laid  open,  it  was  also  not  proper 
to  lay  down  the  laws  and  ordinances  of  the  church 
until  that  time.  This  accounts  for  the  laws  of  the 
church  being  found  only  in  the  New  Testament. 

Now,  if  the  New  Testament  is  to  be  regarded  as 
an  exhibition  of  the  way  of  salvation,  with  such  refer- 
ences to  the  Old  as  are  necessary  for  the  elucidation 
of  the  subject,  rather  than  as  the  Law  Book  for  man- 
kind at  large,  the  idea  that  the  Sabbath  ought  not  to 
be  looked  for  in  the  Old  Testament  falls  to  the  ground. 
Nevertheless,  to  some  minds  it  appears  strange,  that 
while  the  New  Testament  writers  mention  all  the  other 
duties  of  the  Decalogue,  this  of  Sabbath  keeping  is  appa- 
rently omitted.  In  speaking  of  the  sins  of  which  Christ- 
ians were  guilty  before  their  conversion,  not  one  word  is 
said  about  Sabbath  breaking,  though  upon  other  sins  they 
dwell  with  emphasis.  But  this  admits  of  a  very  easy 
solution.  Those  writers  addressed  two  classes  of  con- 
verts— those  from  among  the  Jews,  and  those  from 
among  the  Gentiles.  As  to  the  former,  they  were  al- 
ready rigid  to  an  extreme  in  keeping  the  Sabbath. 
All  that  v/as  necessary  to  do  in  their  case,  was  to  vin- 


ADDRESSED    TO    THE    li APTISTS.  19 

dicate  the  institution  fi'om  Pharisaic  austerities,  and 
determine  what  was  lawful  to  be  done,  and  what  was 
not  lawful.  This  was  done  by  Christ.  But  as  for  the 
Gentile  converts,  to  charge  them  with  having  been 
guilty  of  the  sin  of  Sabbath  breaking  in  their  state  of 
heathenism,  would  have  been  manifest  impropriety. 
For  the  Sabbath  being  for  the  most  part  a  jxjsitire 
1  ather  than  a  moral  precept,  it  could  not  be  known 
without  a  revelation.  But  as  the  Gentiles  had  no  rev- 
elation, this  is  a  good  reason  why  the  apostle  dwelt  not 
upon  this  sin  to  charge  it  upon  them,  but  only  upon 
those  which  were  more  obviously  breaches  of  the 
Moral  Law.  Thus  it  appears,  there  was  no  necessity 
for  any  more  particular  mention  of  the  Sabbath  to  be 
made  in  the  New  Testament  than  what  is  made. 

But  it  is  not  our  object  in  this  Address  to  cover  the 
whole  field  of  argument.  We  design  simply,  by  pre- 
senting some  of  the  strong  points,  and  exposing  your 
incon-sistencies,  to  stir  up  your  attention  to  the  subject. 
We  are  sure  that  the  great  majority  of  you  have  never 
given  it  a  thorough  investigation.  For  a  complete  dis- 
cussion of  the  whole  ground,  we  refer  you  to  our  pub- 
lications. Will  you  read  them  1  Will  you  anxiously 
inquire.  What  is  truth  1  Will  you  pray  over  the  mat- 
ter, saying,  "  Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  us  to  do  ?" 
Or,  will  you  sleep  over  it,  as  if  it  were  of  no  great 
practical  importance  1 

III.  But  we  must  address  that  class  of  Baptists  who 
consider  neither  the  Old  nor  the  New  Testament  to 
impose  any  obligation  to  observe  a  day  of  rest,  and 
advocate  one  merely  on  the  ground  of  expediency. 
In  some  sections  of  our  country.  Baptists  would  con- 
sider it  almost  a  slander  upon  their  denomination  to 
intimate  that  there  were  persons  among  them  of  such 
anti-sabbath  principles.     But  any  one  who  is  conver- 


20  APPEAL    FOR    THE    SABBATH: 

Rant  with  the  order  at  large,  knows  very  well  that  it 
is  true.  There  are  those  who  boldly  avow  such  doc- 
trine, and  many  others  who  do  not  deny  that  it  is  their 
real  sentiment,  though  they  are  not  forward  to  pro- 
claim it  upon  the  house-tops.  Whether  this  class  em- 
braces a  very  large  proportion  of  the  denomination,  it 
is  not  necessary  to  inquire.  It  is  our  impression,  that 
the  proportion  is  sufficiently  large  to  justify  an  effort 
for  their  conversion  to  right  views  of  Divine  Truth. 

If  there  is  no  day  of  rest  enjoined  by  divine  au- 
thority, and  the  observance  of  one  rests  wholly  upon 
expediency,  we  see  no  reason,  except  that  the  voice 
of  the  multitude  is  against  it,  why  you  cannot  as  well 
observe  the  seventh  as  the  first  day  of  the  week. 
There  would  be  no  sacrifice  of  conscience  in  so  doing, 
while  it  would  be  a  tribute  of  respect  to  those  who 
feel  that  the  keeping  of  the  seventh  day  is  an  indis- 
pensable part  of  duty.  But  it  is  not  on  this  pnnciple, 
particularly,  that  we  desire  you  to  change  your  ground. 
Feeling  that  it  is  not  our  party  that  must  be  honored, 
but  rather  divine  truth,  and  our  party  only  for  the 
sake  o/'the  truth,  we  would  much  rather  correct  your 
doctrinal  views. 

Of  course,  you  do  not  deny  that  a  day  of  rest  xvas 
once  enjoined  upon  God's  chosen  people.  It  is  only 
under  the  gospel  that  you  suppose  all  distinction  of 
days  to  be  annihilated.  If,  then,  it  is  expedient  that  a 
day  of  rest  should  be  observed,  it  follows  irresistibly, 
that  the  annihilation  of  all  distinction  in  days,  by  the 
gospel,  was  very  inexpedient  !  And  thus,  whatever 
blessings  the  gospel  dispensation  brings  to  the  human 
race,  a  strict  following  out  of  its  principles  would  be 
INEXPEDIENT  !  And,  farther,  that  the  law,  which  en- 
joined a  day  of  rest,  had  more  of  an  eye  to  expedi- 
ency than  the  gospel  has  !  Consequently,  that  the  gos- 
pel, though  declared  to  be  faultless,  and  capable  of 


ADDRESSED    TO    THE    llAPTISTS.  21 

perfecting  those  who  believe,  must  nevertheless,  for 
expediency's  sake,  borrow  a  little  help  from  the 
abrogated  rites  of  the  law  !  In  other  words,  God,  in 
setting  aside  a  day  of  rest,  committed  an  oversight, 
and  left  his  work  for  man  to  mend !  Brethren,  we 
see  not  how  it  is  possible  for  you  to  escape  such  mon- 
strous conclusions.  They  are  the  legitimate  result  of 
your  principles — principles  which  you  must  have  adopt- 
ed without  considering  where  they  would  land  you. 
For  we  are  not  disposed  to  believe  you  so  completely 
destitute  of  piety,  as  willingly  to  abide  by  the  result 
of  them.  We  entreat  you  to  reconsider  them,  and 
adopt  such  as  are  more  in  accordance  with  the  spirit 
of  our  holy  religion. 

When  you  advocate  the  observance  of  a  day  of  rest 
on  the  ground  of  expediency,  we  are  persuaded  that 
you  do  so  in  view  of  the  bearing  you  perceive  it  to 
have  upon  the  well  being  of  mankind.  But  still  the 
question  will  arise.  Has  the  gospel  less  regard  to  the 
well  being  of  mankind  than  the  law  had '?  Look  at 
the  humanity  of  the  sabbatic  institution.  How  neces- 
sary that  both  man  and  beast  should  rest  one  day  in 
seven.  How  evident  that  they  cannot  endure  uninter- 
rupted toil.  How  perfectly  well  established,  that,  if 
doomed  to  constant  labor,  they  sink  under  the  prema- 
ture exhaustion  of  their  powers.  So  well  is  this  es- 
tablished, that  we  cannot  put  such  a  low  estimate  upon 
your  judgment  as  to  suppose  it  necessary  to  enter 
upon  any  proof  of  it.  But  the  question  returns.  Does 
the  gospel  breathe  less  humanity  than  the  law  ?  Or, 
consider  the  bearing  of  the  institution  upon  the  inter- 
ests of  religion.  It  affords  opportunity  for  men  to  be 
instructed  in  ihe  great  things  which  pertain  to  their 
salvation ;  and  if  there  were  no  Sabbath  to  call  them 
away  from  their  labors,  it  would  be  impossible  to 
bring   religious   instruction   into    contact   with    their 


22  APPEAL  FOR  THE  SABBATH! 

minds.  Does  the  gospel  afford  less  advantage  in  this 
respect  than  the  law  did  ?  Did  the  law  provide  a  sea- 
son for  instructing  the  people  in  religion  as  it  fJicn 
stood  ?  and  does  the  gospel  provide  no  season  for  in- 
sti'ucting  them  in  religion  as  it  noio  stands?  Must 
they  be  instructed  in  types,  but  not  in  the  substance  ? 
— m  prophecy  yhxxt  not  in  the  fuljilhnent  of  prophecy? 
No  one  will  be  responsible  for  the  affirmative  of  these 
questions. 

If  the  New  Dispensation  actually  has  abrogated  the 
Sabbath,  we  do  not  believe  that  it  is  expedient  to  ob 
serve  it.  "We  cannot  believe,  however,  that  an  insti- 
tution so  important  to  the  civilization,  refinement,  and 
religious  prosperity  of  mankind,  has  been  abrogated. 
We  refer  you  to  our  publications,  and  to  the  publica- 
tions of  those  who  have,  in  common  with  us,  defended 
the  perpetuity  of  the  sabbatic  law ;  and  we  entreat 
you  to  reconsider  your  ground.  The  doctrine  of  ex- 
pediency !  What  a  fruitful  source  of  corruption  has 
it  been  to  the  church  of  God  !  There  is  not  an  anti- 
christian,  popish  abomination,  but  what  pleads  some- 
thing of  this  kind.  Do,  dear  brethren,  let  it  be  ex- 
punged from  your  creed 

Brethren  of  the  Baptist  Denomination  :  You 
are  a  great  and  growing  people.  Your  influence  is 
felt  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  our  land. 
We  rejoice  in  your  prosperity.  "  May  the  Lord 
make  you  to  increase  and  abound  in  love  one  towards 
another,  and  toward  all  men."  In  your  prosperity  we 
behold,  in  a  measure,  our  own.  Your  baptism  is  our 
baptism.  Your  church  government  is  our  govern 
ment.  Your  doctiinal  principles  are  ours ;  and  there 
is  nothing  which  constitutes  any  real  ground  of  separa- 
tion, except  the  great  and  important  subject  we  now 
ui'ge  upon  your  attention. 


ADDRESSED    TO    Till;    BAPTISTS.  23 

The  popularity  you  have  gained  as  a  dcuominalion, 
however,  is  not  owing  to  your  Sabbath  prhiciples.  It 
is  founded  entirely  on  your  views  concerninn^  the  in- 
itiating ordinance  of  the  gospel.  These  views  are 
characterized  by  that  perfect  simplicity  which  marks 
every  divine  institution.  Hence  you  have  won  the  af- 
fections of  the  common  people,  while,  if  you  had  at- 
tempted to  ojjerate  on  them  by  a  more  complicated 
theory,  failure  would  have  been  the  result. 

This  induces  us  to  urge  upon  your  notice  the  ex- 
ceeding simplicity  of  the  Sabbatarian  argument,  com- 
pared with  all  those  theories  which  stand  in  opposition 
to  it.  It  is  adapted  to  persons  of  weak  capacities,  of 
whom  there  are  thousands  in  the  kingdom  of  Christ. 
Any  illiterate  person  can  open  the  Bible,  and  point  to 
chapter  and  verse,  saying,  "  The  seventh  day  is  the 
Sabbath  of  the  Lord  thy  God."  This  is  plain  ;  he  can 
understand  it.  But  tell  him  that  redemption  was  a 
much  greater  work  than  creation ;  that  redemption 
was  finished  by  the  resurrection  of  Christ ;  that  an 
event  so  important  ought  to  be  commemorated  ;  and 
that,  in  order  to  do  this,  the  day  of  the  Sabbath  was 
changed  from  the  seventh  to  the  first  day  of  the  week  ; 
for  all  which  there  is  not  a  single  "  thus  saith  the 
Lord;"  nothing  but  the  uncertain  deductions  of  human 
reason.  Can  he  understand  it  ?  No.  It  requires  an 
elevation  of  intellect  which  God  has  not  given  him. 
The  inferences  and  deductions  are  beyond  his  capaci- 
ties. How  then  is  he  to  render  an  intelligent  obedi- 
ence ?  If  he  conform  his  practice  to  the  theory  thus 
set  before  him,  it  will  not  be  because  he  understands 
it,  but  because  he  is  willing  to  trust  the  guidance  of 
his  mind  to  those  who,  he  thinks,  know  more  than  he 
does  himself  This,  therefore,  is  strong  internal  evi- 
dence that  the  keeping  of  the  first  day  is  not  of  God. 
For  Grod's  Book   is  adapted  not  only  to  those  of  ele- 


24  APPEAL  FOR  THE  SABBATH: 

vated  intellect,  but  to  the  ignorant  and  rude.  Every 
thing  concerning  our  practice  is  plain  even  to  wayfar- 
ing men.  Were  it  otherwise,  we  should  conclude 
that  the  Bible  is  not  an  inspired  production.  If  it  did 
not  come  down  to  the  capacities  of  all,  we  should  in- 
fer that  it  was  not  made  by  Him  who  made  all  minds. 
Indeed,  it  would  not,  in  such  case,  be  a  revelation  to 
all,  but  only  to  the  more  talented.  But  it  is  a  revela- 
tion to  all ;  and  he  that  obeys  God,  must  do  it  for 
himself;  he  that  repents  and  believes,  must  do  so  for 
himself;  and  at  the  gieat  day,  every  one  of  us  shall 
give  account  for  himself  unto  God.  It  is  of  the  high- 
est importance,  therefore,  that  every  one  know  for 
himself  the  foundation  of  his  faith  and  practice. 

In  thus  urging  the  simplicity  of  the  argument  for 
the  Sabbath,  we  are  but  doing  what  you  do  in  regard 
to  Baptism.  Compare  the  cases.  A  man  of  consid- 
erable intellect  can  reason  from  the  Abrahamic  cov- 
enant, lay  propositions  together,  and  draw  inferences 
and  deductions,  until,  finally,  he  makes  it  pretty  clear 
to  his  own  mind,  that  the  children  of  the  flesh,  these 
are  the  children  of  God ;  Paul  to  the  contrary  not- 
withstanding. But  how  is  it  with  some  good  old  Bap- 
tist sister,  who  can  hardly  join  two  ideas  together,  and 
draw  a  logical  inference  from  them  ?  Why,  she  can- 
not tell  about  this  reasoning  from  the  Abrahamic  cov- 
enant. It  is  something  she  does  not  understand.  But 
she  can  open  her  Bible,  and  point  to  chapter  and  verse 
for  believer's  baptism.  She  puts  her  finger  upon  some- 
thing that  is  just  adapted  to  her  capacities.  As  she 
has  a  soul  to  save,  an  obedience  to  render,  and  an  ac- 
count to  give,  all  for  herself,  her  practice  is  according- 
ly. Brethren,  think  this  matter  over,  and  see  whether 
your  reasoning  on  the  Sabbath  is  not  very  much  akin 
to  that  of  those  who  reason  from  the  Abrahamic  cov- 
enant to  Baptism.     Think  seriously,  whether  it  does 


ADDRESSED    TO    THE    BAPTISTS.  25 

not  render  intelligent  obedience  impossible  to  vast 
numbers  of  Christians.  Think  whether  a  course  of 
reasoning  which  darkens  a  very  simple  subject,  is  not 
more  specious  than  solid. 

Again,  your  children  are  to  be  early  instructed  in 
this  matter.  How  do  you  succeed  in  making  lliem 
understand  it  ?  Is  your  little  child  capable  of  compre- 
hending all  this  argument,  which  you  found  upon  the 
iinishhig  of  redemption  by  the  resurrection  of  Christ  ? 
Can  you  point  him  to  any  plain  passage,  where  Christ 
authorizes  a  change  of  the  Sabbath  ?  How  do  you 
feel  when  the  little  creature  says,  in  the  simplicity  of 
liis  heart,  "  Father,  mother,  does  not  the  fourth  com- 
mandment require  the  observance  of  the  seventh  day 
of  the  week  1  But  do  we  not  keep  the  first  day  ]  I 
should  think  this  is  not  keeping  the  commandment." 
One  would  think  you  would  be  forcibly  reminded  of 
that  scripture,  "  Out  of  the  mouths  of  babes  and  suck- 
lings thou  hast  ordained  strength."     Ps.  8  :  2. 

The  extensive  operations  in  which  you  are  engaged 
for  the  conversion  of  the  world,  render  it  in  the  high- 
est degree  important  that  you  should  not  err  on  a  ques- 
tioix  like  this.  If  you  are  right,  you  ought  to  be  very 
certain  of  it.  Among  the  heathen,  you  'are  extending 
the  observance  of  Sunday  as  a  sacred  day.  If  you 
are  thus  sowing  the  seeds  of  error  instead  of  truth, 
the  evils  who  can  calculate  ]  Hence  you  cannot  too 
early  begin  to  review  your  gi'ound.  Consider  the  dif- 
ficulties your  missionaries  already  have  to  encounter, 
because  of  unscriptural  sentiments  propagated  among 
the  heathen  by  those  who  nevertheless  loved  their 
souls.  The  poor,  perishing  idolaters  are  witnesses  of 
the  clashing  of  doctrine  between  Jesus  Christ's  men, 
and  they  ask,  "  Why  is  this  ?  You  have  cjme  to  give 
us  a  gospel  which  professes  to  make  its  folloivers  '■per- 
fect in  one,''  and  yet  you  yourselves  are  divided^  You 
3 


^6  APPEAL    FOR    THE    SABBATH: 

cannot  in  conscience  abandon  your  principles,  how- 
ever, nor  dare  you,  in  your  translations,  give  to  a  sen- 
tence or  a  particle  one  single  turn,  which  will  not  fully 
express  the  mind  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Dare  you,  then, 
without  feeling  the  most  entire  certainty,  teach  them 
that  God  says,  "  Remember  the  first  day  of  the  week 
to  keep  it  holy  V  The  responsibility  of  the  missionary, 
in  this  respect,  is  not  less  than  where  his  translation  is 
concerned.  Does  he  feel  the  same  awfi^il  sense  of  re- 
sponsibility 1 

From  the  heathen  turn  to  the  contemplation  of  the 
Jewish  nation.  The  time  cannot  be  far  distant,  when 
those  who,  "  as  touching  the  election,  are  beloved  for 
the  fathers'  sakes,"  shall  be  called  to  behold  the  glory 
of  God,  in  the  face  of  Him  they  have  so  long  rejected. 
But  in  order  to  this,  a  voice  from  the  divine  word  cries, 
"  Cast  ye  up,  cast  ye  up,  prepare  the  way,  take  up  the 
stumbling  block  out  of  the  way  of  my  people."  Have 
Christians  seriously  considered  what  this  stumbling- 
block  is  ?  For  our  own  part,  we  are  persuaded  that 
nothing  can  be  more  justly  called  by  this  name,  than 
the  general  abandonment,  on  the  part  of  Christians,  of 
the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord.  The  Jews,  taking  it  for 
granted,  without  examination,  that  this  abandonment 
is  really  taught  by  the  Christian  religion,  suppose  that 
its  author  cannot  be  the  true  Messiah.  They  have 
seen,  through  every  period  of  their  nation's  history, 
that  God  has  put  signal  honor  upon  this  institution. 
They  have  seen  its  sacredness  elevated  high  above 
that  of  the  ceremonial  institutions.  They  have  heard 
their  prophets  dwell  upon  the  profanation  of  it  as  the 
crying  sin  of  the  land,  on  account  of  which  the  sore 
judgments  of  Heaven  came  down  upon  it.  It  is  true, 
some  teach  that  the  whole  Mosaic  system  was  clothed 
with  as  much  sacredness  as  the  Sabbath  ;  and  that  it 
was  not  for  the  sin  of  Sabbath  breaking,  any  more  than 


ADDRESSED  TO  THE  BAPTISTS.         27 

for  a  disregard  of  the  ritual  service  in  general,  that 
they  suffered  the  wrath  of  Jehovah.  But  such  per- 
sons must  have  pnid  only  a  superficial  attention  to  the 
subject.  The  attentive  reader  cannot  fail  to  be  struck 
with  the  fact,  that  while  in  the  prophets  the  Sabbath 
is  exalted  as  of  vast  importance  to  the  nation,  and  all 
its  prosperity,  and  the  favor  of  God,  seemingly,  sus- 
pended on  the  proper  keeping  of  it,  ceremonial  usages 
are  comparatively  depreciated. 

Since  the  Sabbath  holds  such  a  sacred ness  through- 
out the  ancient  oracles  of  God — since  the  Israelites 
have  taken  their  lessons  of  obedience  to  it  under  "  the 
rod  of  his  wrath" — since  no  grant  was  given  to  the 
Messiah  to  set  it  aside,  nor  the  least  intimation  ever 
made  to  the  Jews  that  it  would  be  set  aside — can  we 
wonder  that  they  think  that  teacher  to  be  an  impostor 
who  should  break  this  commandment,  and  teach  men 
so? 

But  there  is  a  crisis  approaching — the  day  is  near, 
and  it  hasteth  greatly — when  it  will  be  indispensable 
that  all  those  who  truly  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
have  their  "  loins  girt  about  with  truth."  Popery  is 
preparing  for  another  desperate  struggle.  The  great 
principle  of  the  Reformation,  that  "the  Scriptures  are 
the  only  rule  of  faith,"  is  to  be  discussed  anew.  In  the 
Church  of  England,  this  discussion  has  already  com- 
menced. Rome  has  opened  her  sluices,  and  anti- 
christian  corruption  again  threatens  to  flood  the 
church  of  God.  As  the  water  naturally  seeks  such 
channels  as  may  be  already  prepared,  so  will  it  be 
with  this  doctrine.  What  branch  of  Zion  will  be  next 
troubled  1  Probably  that  which  makes  the  next  widest 
departure  from  the  great  Protestant  principle.  Then 
that  which  is  next  in  order ;  and  so  on.  For  it  can 
not  reasonably  be  expected  to  stop,  until  it  reach  that 
Qrder  of  people  which  is  governed  by  the  Bible  alone. 


28  APPEAL  FOR  THE  SABBATH  I 

Upon  all  others  the  desolation  must  be  more  or  less 
extensive.  For  those  who  acknowledge  the  principle 
of  departing  from  the  Bible  in  ever  so  small  a  degree, 
may  be  expected  to  exemplify  it  to  an  indefinite  ex- 
tent, when  the  circumstances  of  the  times  are  so  modi- 
fied as  to  give  occasion  for  it.  As  for  yourselves,  you 
do  not  avow  the  principle  of  departing  from  the  Scrip- 
tures, but  profess  to  hold  it  in  abhorrence.  The  lan- 
guage of  your  creeds  is  explicit  on  this  point ;  and  we 
know  of  no  denomination  so  forward  to  plead  a  strict 
conformity  to  this  principle  as  yourselves.  Yet  it  is  im-» 
possible  for  you  to  pretend,  with  any  show  of  modesty, 
that  the  Scriptures  expressly  enjoin  the  keeping  of 
Sunday  as  a  Sabbath  to  the  Lord.  You  cannot  say, 
from  Scripture  authority,  that  the  apostles  observed  it 
as  such.  Nevertheless,  your  creed  declares  that  it  ought 
to  be  so  observed ;  and  your  jiractice  accords  with 
your  creed.  Wherefore,  it  is  as  evident  as  mathemat- 
ical demonstration,  that  you  do  depart  from  the  great 
Protestant  principle.  Consequently,  if  our  views  be 
correct  in  regard  to  the  crisis  which  is  at  hand,  the 
time  cannot  be  far  distant,  when  your  own  denomina- 
tion will  in  some  modified  form  be  affected  with  the 
deprecated  evil,  and  you  will  be  compelled  to  abandon 
every  principle  and  practice  which  can  give  it  the 
smallest  advantage. 

Do  you  think,  brethren,  that  in  your  present  posi- 
tion you  are  prepared  for  the  great  struggle  ?  When 
the  Puseyite,  replying  to  those  who  contend  for  the 
Protestant  maxim,  refers  to  the  observance  of  Sunday, 
and  says,  "  Here  we  are  absolutely  compelled  to  re- 
sort to  the  aid  of  ancient  usage,  as  recorded,  not  by 
the  inspired,  but  by  the  uninspired  writers,"  are 
you  ready  for  the  issue  1  Can  you  confute  what  he 
says  1  When  another  one  says,  "  The  seventh  day  is 
the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord  thy  God ;  we  celebrate  the 


ADDRESSED    TO    THE    BAPTISTS.  29 

jirst.  Was  this  done  by  divine  command?  No.  I  do 
not  recollect  that  the  Saviour,  or  the  apostles,  say  we 
shall  rest  on  the  first  day  of  the  week  instead  of  the 
seventh ;"  and  then  concludes,  "  The  same  reasons 
which  urge  you  to  dissent  from  the  observance  of  the 
three  grand  festivals  of  the  Church  of  England,  ought 
to  operate  with  you  respecting  the  Sabbath  ;" — are 
you  prepared  to  join  issue  with  him  %  Can  you  jus- 
tify yourselves  on  your  own  principles  %  If  you  can, 
we  will  confess  our  short-sightedness.  But  indeed  we 
fear,  we  tremble,  in  view  of  the  crisis  which  is  ap- 
proaching, when  we  look  at  the  traditional  usages  pre- 
vailing among  Christians,  and  consider  with  what  a 
tenacious  grasp  they  are  held.  O  Lord  God  Al- 
mighty !  thou  who  hast  sworn  that  *  thy  kindness  shall 
not  depart  from  thy  church,  nor  the  covenant  of  thy 
peace  be  removed,'  let  not  thy  truth  fall  in  the  con- 
test. 

We  mean  not  to  goad  your  feelings,  by  charging 
upon  you  any  of  the  abominations  of  Popery.  We 
are  sure  you  would  not  cherish  one  of  them,  if  you 
were  conscious  of  it.  But  we  take  it  for  granted, 
that  those  who  are  forwaid  to  take  the  mote  out  of 
their  brother's  eye,  are  willing  to  have  the  beam  taken 
out  of  their  own.  You  have  charged  pedobaptist  de- 
nominations, over  and  over,  with  upholding  popery's 
chief  pillar.  You  have  told  them,  that  their  zeal 
against  the  man  of  sin  would  avail  them  but  little, 
until  they  first  rid  themselves  of  his  traditions.  You 
have  talked  feelingly  of  the  sin  of  encumbering  the 
ordinances  of  God  with  human  inventions.  You  have 
read  the  church  of  Christ  many  a  good  lesson  on  the 
importance  of  hokUng  the  truth  in  its  puiity.  In  all 
this  you  have,  doubtless,  been  sincere.  We  have  no 
fault  to  find  with  you  ;  for  you  have  only  followed  the 
Bible  direction,  "  Cry  aloud,  spare  not,  show  my  peo- 


30  APPEAL  FOR  THE  SABBATH: 

pie  their  transgression."  In  conformity  with  this  di- 
rection, we  would  endeavor  to  act  our  part  as  faithful 
reprovers.  Yet  our  desire  is,  to  do  it  with  meekness, 
considering  ourselves,  lest  we  also  be  tempted.  It 
may  be — we  know  not — that  some  of  the  abomina- 
tions of  the  man  of  sin  are  cleaving  to  us.  If  so,  "  let 
the  righteous  smite  us,  it  shall  be  a  kindness  ;  let  them 
reprove  us,  it  shall  be  an  excellent  oil,  which  shall  not 
break  our  head." 

Turn,  brethren,  to  the  seventh  chapter  of  the  prophe- 
cy of  Daniel,  and  twenty-fifth  verse.  You  there  find 
one  spoken  of  who  "  shall  speak  great  words  against  the 
Most  High,  and  shall  wear  out  the  saints  of  the  Most 
High,  and  think  to  change  times  and  laws."  You 
have  had  no  difficulty  in  finding  in  this  prophecy  a  re- 
ference to  the  law  of  baptism,  as  one  of  the  laws 
which  this  great  power  has  changed ;  but  you  have 
not  shown  satisfactorily  what  are  the  times.  You  have 
usually  referred  them  to  the  numerous  festivals  and 
holy-days,  which  have  been  multiplied  by  the  church 
of  Rome.  But  these  were  times  established  ;  not 
times  changed.  Will  you  please  to  expound  this  pas- 
sage a  little  more  clearly  1  Will  you  tell  us  whether, 
under  the  gospel,  there  is  any  sacred  time  except  the 
Sabbath  ?  We  will  not  be  unreasonably  confident, 
but  we  are  much  mistaken,  if  you  can  give  any  clear 
and  satisfactory  construction  to  this  prophecy,  without 
finding  that  something  of  Rome  still  cleaves  to  you. 

Suffer  us  here  to  declare  our  conviction,  that  you 
could  talce  no  more  effectual  step  toward  convert 
ing  the  Christian  world  to  right  views  about  baptism, 
than  to  embrace  the  vSabbath  of  the  Bible.  In  your 
discussions  ^ith  Pedobaptists,  you  are  constantly  re- 
ferred to  the  change  of  the  Sabbath,  as  proof  that 
some  things  may  be  binding  which  the  Scriptures  do 
not  expressly  enjoin.     Y<3U  have  never  met  this  argu- 


ADDRESSED    TO    THE    BAPTISTS.  31 

ment  fairly  and  fully.  To  be  sure,  you  always  make 
an  attempt  to  meet  it.  But  how  do  you  do  it  ?  By 
proving  that  Christ  expressly  enjoined  his  followers  to 
sahhatize  on  the  first  day  of  the  week  %  By  showing 
from  express  Scripture  testimony,  that  the  apostles 
did  actually  rest  from  their  labors  on  that  day?  No. 
Neither  of  these  things  have  you  ever  shown  ;  nor 
can  you  show  them.  The  whole  head  and  front  of 
your  proof — if  proof  it  may  be  called — amouut  only 
to  this ;  that  the  apostles  and  primitive  Christians  met 
together  for  worship  on  that  day.  It  is  true,  by  such 
a  course  you  have  generally  talked  your  opponents 
into  silence,  because  by  exposing  fully  the  defect  of 
your  reply,  it  would  only  render  their  own  transgres- 
sion the  more  glaring.  But  while  you  silenced  them, 
you  did  not  convince  them.  While  they  saw  that  for 
one  of  your  oion  customs  you  could  not  plead  a  "  thus 
saith  the  Lord,"  they  felt  comparatively  easy  under 
all  your  rebukes,  and  naturally  enough  thought  it  not 
very  important,  that  they  should  have  a  "  thus  saith 
the  Lord"  for  the  sprinkling  of  babes. 

But  a  most  important  consideration,  in  view  of  this 
subject,  is  the  influence  of  your  large  and  powerful 
denomination  upon  an  unconverted  world.  Whatever 
your  theory  about  the  perpetuity  of  the  sabbatic  law — 
whatever  your  doubts  and  scruples  about  the  use  of 
the  term  Sabbath  under  the  gospel — you  cannot  rid 
yourselves  of  a  deep  sense  of  the  importance  of  a 
day  of  rest  to  the  world  at  large.  Hence  the  resolu- 
tions of  your  churches  and  conventional  bodies,  with 
regard  to  the  profanation  of  what  you  call  the  Lord's 
day.  Hence  your  plain,  out-spoken  censures  of  run- 
ning cars,  stages,  steamboats,  and  other  public  convey- 
ances, on  this  day.  Hence  your  griefs  and  lamenta- 
tions over  those  who  make  it  a  day  of  recreation  or 
mirth.     Hence  your  readiness  to  cooperate  with  those 


32         APPEAL  FOR  THE  sahhath: 

bodies  which  are  organized  to  suppress,  if  possible, 
the  violation  of  what  is  called  the  Sabbath.  We  ad- 
mire the  principle  which  governs  you  in  all  this  ;  but 
we  lament  that  it  is  not  regulated  by  a  better  under- 
standing of  the  subject.  If  you  would  promote  right 
principles,  you  must  be  careful  that  your  proofs,  and 
examples  for  illustration,  are  pertinent  and  free  from 
all  uncertainty.  We  are  fully  persuaded,  that  your 
Recommendations  and  Pledges,  your  Resolutions  and 
Associational  Acts,  will  always  meet  with  defeat,  until 
you  can  fortify  them  by  a  law  of  God,  so  clearly  ex- 
pressed, that  it  will  ui-ge  and  goad  the  violator's  con- 
science wherever  he  may  go.  The  consciences  of 
guilty  men  cannot  be  reached  by  the  method  you  are 
pursuing.  You  behold  them  desecrating  the  Sunday, 
and,  in  order  to  make  them  lay  it  to  heart  as  a  sin, 
you  bring  down  upon  them — what  1  Apostolic  exam- 
ple 1  New  Testament  intimations,  and  far-fetched 
inferences?  No.  None  of  these  do  you  think  of  em- 
ploying. But  the  Laiv,  the  all-searching,  sii>-rebuking 
Law  of  God,  is  the  only  means  you  think  of  in  such 
a  case.  Nothing  else  suits  your  purpose,  be  your 
theory  what  it  may.  But  hear  their  reply.  "  Is  the 
law  of  the  commandment  upon  us  to-day  ?  That  it 
was  YESTERDAY,  we  allow ;  for  it  says,  *  the  seventh 
day^  That  the  law  of  the  commandment  lies  against 
us  every  day,  you  will  not  pretend ;  but  only  one  day 
m  seven.  If  that  one  day  was  yesterday,  you  are 
yourselves  as  guilty  as  we ;  and  we,  therefore,  feel 
comparatively  comfortable.  To  be  sure,  some  sense 
of  the  necessity  of  keeping  the  Sabbath  holy,  does  at 
times  rest  ujDon  our  minds ;  and  our  consciences,  for 
the  moment,  reproach  us ;  but  when  we  see  you,  and 
all  the  Christian  world,  living  in  the  neglect  of  it,  we 
feel  quite  easy  again,  and  think  our  sin  to  be  but  a 
light  one."     Such  may  not  be  their  precise  language, 


ADDRESSED    TO    THE    JJAPTISTS.  33 

but  it  is  llie  exact  expression  of  tlioir  hearts'  feelings. 
Thus  even  the  Law  fails  in  your  liands,  because  you 
attempt  to  make  it  speak  what  it  will  not  speak. 

[f  you  ask  us,  "  Do  you  meet  with  success  in  at- 
tempting to  reach  the  consciences  of  guilty,  unbeliev- 
ing men  ?"  we  reply,  that  we  have  no  ditHcu^y,  ex- 
cept so  fir  as  you,  and  the  whole  body  of  observers  of 
the  first  day,  stand  in  the  way.  We  bring  them  to 
admit,  openly  and  honestly,  the  claims  of  God's  law, 
and  a  sense  of  guilt  momentarily  rests  upon  them. 
But  immediately  they  turn  to  contemplate  your  prac- 
tice, and  their  hearts  become  hardened.  We  do, 
therefore,  affectionately,  but  earnestly,  invite  you  to 
consider,  how  tremendous  is  your  influente  toward 
perpetuating  Sabbath  profanation  in  the  l;nid.  Your 
numbers,  your  learning,  your  talents,  your  wealth, 
your  general  respectability,  all  combine  to  operate 
with  overwhelming  effect  in  this  matter. 

Our  observations,  if  correct,  go  to  show  what  a 
source  of  danger  the  Sunday  heresy  is  to  the  Moral 
Law.  The  Sabbath  is  a  most  important  precept  of 
this  law  ;  "  the  golden  clasp '^  as  an  old  writer  quaintly 
observes,  "  which  joins  the  two  tables  together  ;  the 
sinew  in  the  body  of  laws,  which  were  written  with 
God's  own  finger ;  the  intermediate  precept,  which 
participates  of  the  sanctity  of  both  tables,  and  the  due 
observance  of  which  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  whole 
law."  This  important  precept  is  either  set  aside  en- 
tirely, or  its  edge  and  keenness  so  muffled  by  a 
transfer  to  another  day,  that  the  united  efforts  of  the 
church  can  do  little  or  nothing  toward  impressing  it 
on  the  conscience.  Here,  then,  is  a  relaxation  of  the 
standard  of  morality ;  and  while  the  standard  is  re- 
laxed with  regard  to  this  one  precept,  in  vain  do  we 
look  for  the  Law,  as  a  whole,  to  appear  glorious  in 
the  eyes  of  men. 


34  APPEAL  FOR  THE  SABBATH: 

This  remark  will  be  strengthened,  if  we  consider 
to  what  inconsistencies  the  advocates  of  Sunday  are 
driven.  Some,  in  their  zeal  to  defend  it,  even  go  so 
far  as  to  deny  the  Moral  Law  to  be  a  rule  of  conduct 
to  Christians.  Others,  though  they  admit  the  Law  to 
be  a  rule  of  conduct,  cannot  relieve  themselves  of  at 
least  seemivg  to  undervalue  it.  When  the  Sabbath 
discussion  is  out  of  sight,  they  speak  out  clearly,  and 
without  equivocation,  giving  the  fullest  proof  that  they 
regard  the  Law  as  the  unchangeable  standard  of  obe- 
dience. But  at  other  times  they  reason  from  the 
New  Dispensation  in  a  manner  so  vague  and  indefi- 
nite, that  one  is  puzzled  to  tell  whether  they  regard  the 
Gospel  as  enforcing  strict  obedience  to  the  Law  or 
not.  Now  he  that  is  established  in  the  clear  truth,  is 
hampered  with  no  such  difficulties.  There  is,  with 
him,  not  only  the  naked  and  abstract  admission,  that 
the  Moral  Law  is  unchangeably  binding,  but  there 
appears  such  a  beautiful  and  perfect  conformity  be- 
tween this  admission  and  the  principles  he  inculcates, 
that  the  most  common  minds  are  struck  with  it,  and 
every  doubt  is  scattered. 

While  you  are  fettered  by  such  difficulties,  is  there 
no  danger  that  the  Law  will  lose  its  sacredness  in  the 
eyes  of  the  people  1  Surely  there  is.  There  is  dan- 
ger, also,  that  your  system  of  theology  will  be  cor- 
rupted in  other  particulars.  Error  goes  not  alone. 
Could  an  opinion  exist  in  the  mind,  circumscribed 
and  isolated,  without  affecting  any  of  our  other  prin- 
ciples, it  would  be  comparatively  harmless.  But  it  is 
not  more  a  truth,  that  a  man  who  utters  one  false- 
hood is  obliged  to  tell  twenty  more  to  hide  it,  than 
that  he  who  supports  one  error  is  obliged  to  forge 
numberless  others  to  give  consistency  to  his  creed.  It 
is  also  a  truth,  which  reflection  and  daily  observation 
will  confirm,  that  nearly  if  not  quite  all  the  heresies 


ADDRESSED    TO    THE    BAPTISTS.  35 

which  ever  infested  the  church  of  God,  are  traceable 
to  some  loose  notions  concerning  the  Moral  Law. 
Nothing,  therefore,  can  be  more  necessary,  than  that 
our  creed  give  the  greatest  possible  prominence  to  the 
Law  as  a  standard  of  holiness  ;  and  that  our  customs 
be  in  perfect  conformity  with  our  creed. 

Brethren,  can  we  hope  that  the  subject  on  which 
we  have  addressed  you  will  receive  your  prayerful 
attention  1  Almost  your  entire  denomination  has  slum- 
bered over  it ;  but  may  we  not  hope,  that  you  will 
now  awake?  May  we  not  hope,  that  it  will  be  dis- 
cussed in  your  private  circles,  and  in  your  public  as- 
semblies ;  in  your  Bible  classes,  and  in  your  Sunday 
schools ;  that  it  will  be  studied  by  your  ministers, 
and  by  the  people  in  general ;  and  that  every  one 
will,  in  the  deep  desire  of  his  soul,  pray,  "  Lord.,  open 
thou  mine  eyes,  that  I  may  discern  wondrous  things 
out  of  thy  Law." 

But  if,  on  the  other  hand,  we  see  a  disposition  to  pass 
it  by  with  cold  neglect — an  unwillingness  to  look  the 
question  in  the  face — an  attempt,  on  the  part  of  your 
teachers  and  leaders,  to  hush  it  up  as  a  matter  of  no 
importance — a  studied  effort  to  lead  the  people  away 
fi'om  it,  when  they  are  disposed  to  examine — or  teach- 
ing them  that  it  is  the  spirit,  rather  than  the  letter  of 
the  law  that  God  requires — we  shall  be  constrained  to 
apply  the  language  of  Him  who  spake  as  never  man 
spake — "  Every  one  that  doeth  evil  hateth  the 

LIGHT,     neither     COMETH    TO    THE     LIGHT,    LEST     HIS 

deeds  should  be  reproved."  John  3  :  20. 


TfiR 


ROYAL  LAW  CONTENDED  FOR-. 

OR, 

Some  brief  Grounds  serving  to  prove  that  the  Ten 

Commandments  are  yet  in  full  force,  and 

shall  so  remain  till  Heaven  and 

Earth  pass  away  : 

ALSO, 

The  Seventh  Day  Sabbath,  proved  from  the  beginning,  from 

the  Law,  from  the  Prophets,  from  Christ,  and  his 

Apostles,  to  be  a  duty  yet  incumbent 

upon  Saints  and  Sinners. 


By  a  Lover  of  Peace  with  Truth,  Edward  Stennet. 


They  that  forsake  the  Law  praise  the  wicked,  but  such  as  keep  the  Law 

contend  with  them.     Prov.  28  :  4. 
Let  us  hear  the  conclusion  of  the  whole  matter,  Fear  God  and  keep  hi5 

commandments,  for  this  is  the  whole  duty  of  man.     Ecc.  12  :  13. 
The  Sabbath  was  made  for  man,  and  not  man  for  the  Sabbath  ;  therefore 

the  Son  of  man  is  Lord  even  of  the  Sabbath.     Mark  2 :  27,  28. 
Then  shall  I  not  be  ashamed,  when  I  have  respect  to  all  thy  command 

ments.    Ps.  119  :  6. 


London,  Printed  in  the  Year  1658. 


NEW-YORK: 

REPUBLISHED  BY  THE  AMERICAN  SABBATH  TRACT  SOCIETY. 


PREFACE  BY  THE  TRACT  SOCIETY. 


The  friends  of  the  Sabbath  will  doubtless  receive  this  little 
volume  as  a  valuable  relic  of  the  past  —  as  a  word  from  one 
of  the  tried  and  faithful  friends  of  the  truth,  one  who  not 
only  loved  the  day  of  God's  weekly  rest,  but  greatly  delight- 
ed in  the  promise  of  a  future  and  glorious  sabbatism  with  the 
people  ot  God.  Edward  Stennet,  the  author,  was  the  first 
of  the  series  of  Sabbatarian  ministers  of  that  name,  who  for 
four  generations  continued  to  be  among  the  furemost  of  the 
Dissenters  in  England,  and  whose  praise  is  still  in  all  the 
churches.  He  was  an  able  and  devoted  minisiter,  but  dissent- 
ing from  the  Established  Church,  he  was  deprived  of  the 
means  of  support;  and,  his  family  being  large,  he  applied 
himself  to  the  study  of  medicine,  by  the  practice  of  which 
he  was  enal)led  to  give  his  sons  a  liberal  education.  He  suf- 
fered much  of  the  persecution  which  the  Dissenters  were  ex- 
posed to  at  that  time,  and  more  especially  for  his  faithful  ad- 
herence to  the  cause  of  the  Sabbath.  For  this  truth,  he  ex- 
perienced tribulation,  not  only  from  those  in  power,  by  whom 
he  was  a  long  time  kept  in  prison,  but  also  much  distress  from 
unfriendly  dissenting  brethren,  who  strove  to  destroy  his  in- 
fluence, and  ruin  his  cause.  He  wrote  several  treatises  upon 
the  subject  of  the  Sabbath  besides  this,  but  they  are  very  rare, 
and  perhaps  cannot  all  be  found  in  a  perfect  state  of  preserv- 
ation. It  would  be  well,  no  doubt,  to  revive  all  of  them, 
and,  if  prai  ticable,  republish  them  in  the  same  form  as  this, 
that  they  miirht  be  bound  together,  and  placed,  as  they  deserve 
to  be,  in  every  Sabbath-keeper's  library.  They  all  breathe  the 
genuine  spirit  of  Christianity,  and  in  their  day  were  greatly 
conducive  to  the  prosperity  of  the  Sabbath-keeping  chuz-chei 

Nkw-York,  July,  1848 


THE  ROYAL  LAW  CONTENDED  FOR 


BOWB  BBIKF  GROUNDS,  SEEVING  TO  PHOVE  THAT  THE  TEN  COMMANDMBITra 

ABE   YET   IN   FULL   FOHCE,   AND   SHALL   SO   REMAIN  TILL 

HEAVEN  AND   EARTH   PASS  AWAY. 


1.  The  matter  of  the  ten  commandments  was  writ- 
ten in  the  heart  of  Adam  before  his  fall,  as  doth  appear 
in  Gen.  1 ;  27,  God  created  man  in  his  own  image^ 
in  the  image  of  God  created  he  him  ;  also  in  Eccl.  7  . 
29,  God  hath  made  man  upright,  hut  they  have  sought 
out  many  inventions.  And  the  Apostle  plainly  asserts, 
that  the  gentiles,  which  had  not  the  law,  (in  the  letter 
of  it>)  did  by  nature  the  things  contained  in  the  law, 
which  showeth  the  work  of  the  law  written  in  their 
hearts.  Rom.  2  :  14,  15.  Now  if  the  gentiles  had 
the  word  of  the  law  written  in  their  hearts  in  their 
sinful  state,  doubtless  they  had  it  in  more  perfection 
in  their  state  of  innocence,  as  considered  in  Adam; 
for  the  letter  of  the  law  was  added  because  of  trans- 
gression. Gal.  2  :  19.  Now  if  there  was  transgres- 
sion before  the  letter  of  the  law  was  added,  that 
implies  that  there  was  a  law  before  then  ;  in  that  the 
letter  of  the  law  is  said  to  be  added,  it  implies  that 
the  matter  of  it  was  in  being  before,  but  much  worn 
by  sin ;  and  that  is  one  reason  why  the  Lord  was 
pleased  to  add  the  letter. 

Let  it  be  considered,  how  it  can  stand  with  Scrip- 
cure  or  right  reason,  that  Jesus  Christ  should  abro- 
gate this  law.  Did  Christ  blot  out  this  law  from  the 
hearts  of  all  men  by  his  death  %  Then  all  men  have 
not  the  law  of  nature  to  guide  them  ;  for  we  cannot 
be  so  gi'oss  as  to  imagine  that  the  law  is  put  into 
their  hearts  upon  a  new  account,  for  that  were  to 
brinff  all  men  under  the  new  covenant. 


8  THE    ROYAL    LAW    CONTENDED    FOR. 

2.  God  spake  all  these  commandments  unto  the 
people,  and  they  heard  his  voice,  (Deut.  5  :  22 — 24,) 
with  great  majesty  and  glory,  and  he  added  no 
more  ;  and  he  wrote  them  upon  two  tables  of  stone, 
and  delivered  them  unto  Moses — all  of  which  holds 
forth  their  perpetuity ;  they  are  spoken  by  God,  they 
are  written  by  him  in  tables  of  stone ;  so  was 
never  any  ceremony.  Job  desired  that  his  words 
might  be  graven  with  a  pen  of  iron  and  lead  in  a 
rock  of  stone  forever.     Job  19  :  24. 

3.  Afterward  the  first  tables  were  broken,  which  I 
suppose  did  signify  the  Israelites'  breaking  of  the 
first  covenant;  for  Moses  broke  them  on  account  of 
their  having  made  a  golden  calf,  and  so  had  broken 
the  covenant.  Whereupon  Moses  was  then  com- 
manded to  hew  two  tables  like  the  first,  and  God 
wrote  the  same  words  again  upon  them,  (Deut.  10 : 
1 — 4,)  and  they  only  of  all  the  laws  were  put  into 
the  ark,  and  when  the  ark  is  set  in  its  proper  place 
between  the  cherubim  there  is  nothing  hi  it  but  the 
two  tables.  1  Kings  8 :  9.  Now  the  ark  was  a 
type  of  Christ,  and  the  putting  of  the  law  into  it  did 
signify  the  putting  of  it  into  the  heart  of  Christ, 
(Psalm  40  :  6 — 8,  TAy  law  is  in  my  heart,)  and  from 
thence  they  are  transcribed  into  the  hearts  of  the 
seed  of  Christ.  See  Jer.  31 :  33,  where  God 
promises  to  put  his  law  in  their  inward  parts, 
and  write  it  in  their  hearts.  Now  what  law  is 
this  that  must  be  put  into  the  heart,  when  the  law 
of  sacrifice  is  abolished  1  Compare  Heb.  10  :  6 — 9, 
with  the  fore-mentioned  Psalm.  That  this  is  the 
law  that  is  here  spoken  of  is  manifest  if  we  consider 
how  proper  and  suitable  it  is  for  the  heart  of  a 
believer.  Paul  calls  it  the  law  of  his  mind  in  Rom. 
7  :  23,  and  in  verse  22  he  professeth  he  delights  in 
the  law  of  God  after  the  inward  man;  and  God 
saith  he  will  put  the  law  in  his  heart  and  write   it 


THE    ROYAL    LAW    CONTENDED    FOR.  9 

there  ;  ()()tli  wliicli  phrases  hold  it  forth  to  be  the 
same  law  that  was  wiitten  by  God  and  put  into  the 
ark.  IMan's  heart  is  the  tables,  and  God  himself  is 
the  writer;  the  matter  written  is  the  law.  Hear 
what  Wisdom  saith  to  this  :  My  son,  keep  my  words^ 
and  lay  up  my  commandments  within  thee  ;  keep  my 
commandments  and  live,  and  my  law  as  the  apple  of 
thine  eye  ;  hind  them  upon  thy  fingers,  write  them  upon 
the  table  of  thy  heart.  Prov.  7  :  1 — 3.  Now  what 
laws  are  these  but  the  table  laws  ?  And  Wisdom's 
son  is  to  have  them  written  upon  the  fleshy  tables 
of  his  heart. 

4.  When  God  promiseth  to  exalt  his  first-bom 
higher  than  the  kings  of  the  earth,  and  that  his  cov- 
enant should  stand  fast  with  him,  and  that  his  seed 
should  endure  forever,  and  his  throne  as  the  days  of 
heaven,  (Psalms  89  :  28,  29,)  yet  he  saith.  If  his 
children  forsake  my  law,  and  walk  not  in  my  judg- 
ments ;  if  they  hreak  my  statutets,  and  keep  not  my 
commandments  ;  then  will  I  visit  their  transgression 
with  a  rod,  and  their  iniquity  with  stripes.  Neverthe- 
less, my  loving  kindness  will  I  not  utterly  take  away^ 
nor  suffer  my  faithfulness  to  fail.  Verses  30 — 32. 
Mark  it,  this  covenant  was  with  Chiist,  (though  with 
David  in  the  type,)  in  behalf  of  all  the  seed ;  and 
the  chastisements  must  be  the  portion  of  the  seed 
if  they  break  the  law  of  God,  though  his  covenant 
stand  fast.  Now  as  this  covenant  reaches  all  the 
-seed,  so  doth  the  law  and  the  punishments  for  the 
breach  of  it ;  and  if  so,  then  what  law  is  it  that 
reaches  all  the  seed,  if  not  -the  law  of  the  ten  com- 
mandments, with  those  laws  which  are  comprehended 
in  them. 

5.  These  commandments  are  eminently  distin- 
guished and  marked  out  from  all  the  ceremonial 
laws,  both  to  show  their  etainency  and  perpetuity ; 
they  are  said  to  be  the  work  of  God,  in  Exod.  32  : 


10  THE    ROYAL    LAW    CONTENDED    FOR. 

16  ;  and  the  Psalmist  saith,  The  works  of  Ms  handa 
are  verity  and  judgment.  And  these  works  are 
called,  all  Ms  commandments,  in  Psalm  111 :  7,  and 
they  are  ten.  Deut.  4  :  13.  And  therefore  I  con- 
ceive Wisdom's  son  is  to  bind  them  upon  his  fingers, 
to  show  the  number  of  them,  there  being  for  each 
finger  one,  and  that  both  hands  might  be  active  in 
them.  And  Zacharias  and  Elisabeth  were  said  to 
walk  in  all  the  commandments  and  ordinances  of  the 
Lord.  Luke  1 :  6.  They  are  distinguished  from 
the  ceremonial  ordinances,  and  called  all  the  com- 
mandments, to  set  forth  their  number,  as  before  said, 
and  their  eminencey  ;  and  therefore  they  are  so  fre- 
quently called  in  the  Scripture,  the  commandments 
of  God,  distinct  from  the  other  laws,  which  were 
shadowy  in  the  time  of  the  law  of  shadows,  (as 
these  places  of  Scripture,  besides  many  others,  do 
show,  viz.,  Deut.  5 .  31,6:  11,7:  11,8:  11,11:  1, 
30  :  16,  1  Kings  2  :  3,  8  :  58,  2  Chron.  19  :  10,  Neh. 
1 :  7,  and  10  :  29,  &c.,)  and  distinct  from  the  testi- 
mony of  Jesus  in  clear  gospel  times.  In  Rev.  12  : 
17,  note  that  the  dragon's  war  is  with  the  rem- 
nant of  the  woman's  seed  which  kept  the  com- 
mandments of  God  and  the  testimony  of  Jesus, 
And  again,  here  are  they  that  keep  the  command- 
ments of  God  and  the  faith  of  Jesus.  Rev.  14:  12. 
And  when  the  man  would  know  what  he  should  do 
to  be  saved,  Christ  told  him  that  he  knew  the  com- 
mandments. A  cloud  of  witnesses  would  come  in, 
if  need  were,  for  the  confirmation  of  them.  But 
farther  observe  what  the  Scripture  saith  to  their  du- 
ration. The  Paslmist  saith.  All  his  commandments 
are  sure,  they  stand  fast  for  ever  and  ever,  and  are 
done  in  truth  and  uprightness.  Psalm  111  :  7,  8. 
Note  it;  all  his  cammandments,  which  are  the 
works  of  his  hands,  as  afgresaid,  stEind  fast  for  ever 
and  ever ;  that  is,  not  only  in  the  time  of  the  minis- 


THE    ROYAL    LAW    CONTENDED    FOR.  11 

tration  of  the  letter,  which  was  in  a  sense  for  ever, 
but  for  ever  and  ever,  that  is,  under  both  ministra- 
tions, that  of  the  letter  and  that  of  the  spirit,  in 
Old  Testament  times  and  in  the  New.  Search  and 
see  if  you  can  find  any  word  that  doth  speak  of  any 
thing  that  is  said  to  abide  or  stand  fast  for  ever  and 
ever,  which  comes  short  of  the  time  aforesaid.  And 
when  God  hides  his  face  from  the  house  of  Jacob, 
then  is  the  time  that  the  testimony  is  bound  up  and 
the  law  is  sealed  among  the  disciples,  (Isa.  8:  16, 
17,)  clearly  relating  to  the  time  that  the  Jews  re- 
jected the  gospel,  and  the  disciples  are  commanded 
to  make  use  of  the  law  as  well  as  the  testimony  to 
try  the  doctrines  of  others  by.  Isa.  8 :  20.  Ah 
which  shows  the  perpetuity  of  this  law  of  God, 
which  will  farther  appear  if  we  consider  Deut.  7  :  9. 
Our  Lord  saith  in  Matt.  5  :  17,  18,  Think  not  that 
1  am  come  to  destroy  the  law  or  the  prophets  ;  I  came 
not  to  destroy,  hut  to  fulfill.  But  the  question  will  be, 
what  law  this  is  %  To  me  it  appears  to  be  the  law 
of  the  ten  commandments ;  for  these  reasons  : 

1st.  Because  this  comes  in  as  the  motive  to  pro- 
voke his  disciples  to  let  their  light  shine  in  the 
world,  that  men  might  see  their  good  works  and 
glorify  their  Father  which  is  in  heaven.  Matt  5  : 
16.  Therefore  it  must  be  such  a  law  as  the  doing 
of  it  holds  forth  good  works  to  public  view. 

2d.  It  is  such  a  law  as  Christ  professes  he  came 
not  to  destroy  ;  but  the  ceremonial  law  he  destroyed 
in  this  very  sense,  so  that  none  are  to  be  in  the  prac- 
tice of  it ;  he  blotted  out  the  hand-writing  of  or- 
dinances that  was  against  us,  and  contrary  to  us, 
and  took  it  out  of  the  way,  nailing  it  to  his  cross. 

3d.  Destroying  of  the  law  is  here  put  in  direct 
opposition  to  fulfilling  of  it;  to  destroy  is  to  take 
out  of  the  way  or  to  blot  out  as  before  ;  but  to  ful- 
fill the  law  is  to  do  that  which  is  contained  in  the 


,12  THE    ROYAL    LAW    CONTENDED    FOR. 

law;  therefore  saith  Christ  to  John,  when  he  went 
to  be  baptized,  It  becometh  us  to  fulfill  all  righteous' 
ness,  (that  is,  to  perform  it.)  Matt.  3:15.  And  the 
Apostle  saith,  that  love  is  the  fulfilling  of  the  law. 
What  law  i  Why  this,  Thoushaltnot  commit  adultery ^ 
Thou  shalt  not  kill,  Thou  shalt  not  steal,  &lc.  Love 
worketh  no  ill  to  his  neighbor ;  therefore  love  is  the 
fulfilling  of  the  law.  Rom.  13  :  S — 10.  So  that,  to 
fulfill  the  law  of  the  ten  commandments,  is  not  to 
blot  them  out  or  make  them  void  ;  that  were  to  de- 
stroy them,  which  Christ  came  not  to  do,  but,  on 
the  contrary,  to  do  the  things  contained  in  them, 
which  he  did  exactly  in  his  life,  and  so  was  offered 
up  a  Lamb  without  spot. 

4th.  This  is  such  a  law  as  must  stand  in  force, 
every  jot  and  tittle  of  it,  till  heaven  and  earth  pass 
away.  Matt.  5  :  19.  But  heaven  and  earth  are  not 
yet  passed  away ;  therefore  this  law  stands  firm. 
But  because  it  is  said  in  the  text,  Till  all  be  fulfilled, 
hence  some  affirm  that  all  was  fulfilled  at  the  death 
of  Christ,  and  this  fulfilling  of  it  holds  forth  the  ab- 
rogating of  it.  But  did  heaven  and  earth  pass  away 
then  %  or  did  Christ,  by  his  taking  upon  him  all  that 
guilt  which  was  due  to  us,  and  by  his  perfect  fulfill- 
ing of  it  in  his  walk,  take  us  from  our  obedience] 
God  forbid.  Because  Christ  fulfilled  the  righteous- 
ness of  the  law,  must  we  not  fulfill  it  ]  The  Apostle 
saith  that  for  this  end  Christ  died.  For  what  the  law 
could  not  do,  in  that  it  was  loeak  through  thefiesh,  God 
sending  his  own  Son  in  the  likeness  of  sinful  flesh,  and  for 
sin  condemned,  sin  in  the  flesh;  that  the  righteousness  of 
the  law  might  be  fulfill  ed  in  us,  who  walk  not  after  the 
-flesh  but  after  the  sjnrit.  Rom.  8  :  3,  4.  But  what  is 
the  fulfillintr  uf  the  ri<):hteousness  of  the  law,  but  to  do 
the  rio^hteous  thinQ;-s  contained  in  the  law  I  And  in  this 
sense  evei-y  true  believer  doth  fulfill  the  law,  though  his 
completeness  be  in  Christ  j  for  love  is  the  fulfilling  ot 


TllK    ROYAL    LAW    CONTENDED    FOR.  13 

ihe  law,  (Rom.  13:  10,)  so  that  the  commanding 
power  of  the  law  is  such  a  just  measure,  that  e^ery 
one  that  loves  acts  his  part  towards  the  fulfilling  of  it. 

5th,  It  farther  appears  to  be  the  ten  command- 
ments, by  the  use  Christ  makes  of  what  he  had  be- 
fore asserted  :  Whosoever  therefore  shall  break  one 
of  these  least  commandments ,  and  shall  teach  men  so, 
shall  be  called  least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Matt. 
5;  19.  That  is,  forasmuch  as  that  law  must  stand 
till  heaven  and  earth  pass  away,  and  I  came  not  to 
destroy  it,  therefore  beware  of  breaking  it,  for  who- 
soever you  are  that  break  any  part  of  it,  and  shaU 
teach  men  so,  you  shall  be  called  the  least  in  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  ;  but  whosoever  shall  do  and  teach 
them,  the  same  shall  be  called  great  in  the  kingdom 
of  heaven.  To  prevent  farther  mistake,  he  repeateth 
the  law  in  many  particulars,  and  gives  the  sense, 
showing  how  far  their  righteousness  should  exceed 
the  righteousness  of  the  scribes  and  pharisees.  By 
all  of  which  it  plainly  appears,  that  this  law,  which 
Christ  came  not  to  destroy,  is  the  law  of  the  ten 
commandments,  or  the  laws  that  were  c<jmprehend- 
ed  in  them. 

6.  The  Apostle  confirmeth  and  establisheth  this 
law  after  the  death  of  Christ,  as  plainly  appears  in 
the  third  chapter  of  Romans,  the  drift  of  which 
is  to  set  Jews  and  Gentiles  in  a  like  condition  by 
nature — all  breakers  of  the  lav/  of  God,  and  so  be- 
come guilty  before  him,  (verse  19,)  and  that  there- 
fore no  flesh  could  be  justified  by  the  deeds  of  the 
law,  the  law  being  for  another  purpose — to  convince 
of  sin,  (verse  20,)  or  to  bring  sin  to  their  knowledge. 
He  proves  that  Jews  and  Gentiles,  circumcised  and 
uncircumcised,  are  justified  by  and  through  faith, 
and  not  by  the  law  of  works.  Verses  21 — 30.  But 
lest  the  Gentiles  should  think,  because  they  could 
not  be  justified  by  the  works  of  the  law,  that  there- 
2 


14  THE    ROYAL    LAW    CONTENDED    FOR. 

fore  tliey  might  look  upon  the  law  as  a  thing  done 
away  or  made  void,  he  puts  this  question  to  the  un- 
circumcised  Gentiles,  Do  we  then  make  void  the  law 
through  faith  ?  God  forbid  ;  yea,  we  establish  the 
law.  He  settles  this  question,  whether  the  law  be  in 
force  to  believing  Gentiles  or  no,  with  a  God  for- 
bid; which  shows  the  greatness  of  his  zeal  against 
such  a  persuasion,  it  being  the  same  answer  which 
he  gives  to  another  gross  question,  whether  we 
should  continue  in  sin  that  grace  might  abound; 
and,  as  if  that  were  not  enough,  he  adds  to  it,  Yea, 
we  establish  the  law. 

7.  This  same  Apostle  doth  prove  that  the  law 
was  in  force  at  the  time  of  his  conversion.  He 
saith  he  had  not  known  sm  but  by  the  law  ;  he  had 
not  known  lust  except  the  law  had  said.  Thou  shalt 
not  covet.  Rom.  7  :  7.  He  was  alive  without  the 
law  once,  but  when  the  commandment  came,  sin  re- 
vived, and  he  died,  (verse  9,)  that  is,  not  without 
the  letter  of  it,  for  that  he  had,  and  did  in  a  great 
measure  conform  to,  but  without  powerful  con- 
victions for  sin  by  the  law ;  and  in  this  sense  then 
the  commandment  came,  sin  revived,  and  he  died 
that  before  was  alive  in  his  own  apprehension. 
For  without  the  law  sin  was  dead,  (verse  8,)  and  by 
the  law  is  the  knowledge  of  sin ;  and  sin,  taking  oc- 
casion by  the  commandment,  deceived  him,  and  slew 
him.  Wherefore  the  law  is  holy,  and  the  com?nand- 
ment  is  holy,  just  and  good,  (verses  11,  12 ;)  not  that 
the  holy  and  just  law  was  made  death  unto  him — • 
God  forbid — but  sin,  that  it  might  appear  sin,  by 
this  good  law  wrought  death  in  him,  that  by  the 
commandment  sin  might  apj^ear  exceeding  sinful. 
Verse  13.  And  if  so,  then  this  law  did  not  die  with 
the  body  of  Christ;  though  we  are  dead  to  the  law 
by  the  body  of  Christ,  that  we  should  serve  in  new- 
ness of  spirit,  and  not  in   the  oldness  of  the  letter. 


THE    ROYAL    LAW    CONTENDED    FOR.  lA 

and  that  we  should  be  married  to  another,  even  him 
who  is  raised  from  the  dead ;  we  being  dead  to  that 
spirit  of  bondage  in  wliich  we  were  held,  that  we 
set  our  obedience  to  the  law  no  longer  in  the  room 
of  Christ  as  our  head  and  husband ;  Christ  by  his 
blood  liaving  purchased  us  from  that  power  that  the 
law  had  over  us  by  j'eason  of  sin.  So  that  our  ser- 
vice is  not  to  satisfy  the  law,  as  a  woman  serves  to 
please  her  husband  that  she  is  bound  to;  but  we 
are  not  dead  to  serving  in  newness  of  spirit  in  obedi- 
ence to  Christ  as  our  husband.  Rom.  7  :  4 — 6.  In 
this  sense  the  Apostle  delights  in  the  law  of  God 
after  the  inward  man,  (verse  22,)  though  the  other 
law  in  his  members  stood  in  great  opposition  to  it. 
Verse  23.  Mind  this  chapter  well,  and  it  will  ap- 
pear so  plain  that  he  that  runs  may  read,  that  the 
Apostle  intends  no  such  thing  as  to  take  us  from  our 
obedience  to  the  law,  nor  yet  the  abrogating  of  the 
law,  but  the  contrary. 

8.  The  same  Apostle  urges  the  law,  in  the  very 
letter  of  it,  to  the  Ephesians.  He  saith,  in  chapter 
6:  1 — 3,  Children,  ohcy  your  iKirents,  for  this  is  right ; 
honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother,  which  is  the  first 
commandment  with  promise.  He  proves  his  exhorta- 
tion to  be  right  from  the  commandment,  and  he 
takes  notice  of  the  order  of  the  commandments; 
it  is  the  first  commandment  of  that  second  table, 
and  it  hath  a  promise  annexed  to  it.  He  speaks  in 
the  present  tense  ;  he  does  not  say  it  teas  the  first 
commandment,  but  it  is  the  first  with  a  promise, 
that  thy  days  may  he  long  on  the  earth.  He  urges  the 
promise  to  them  for  their  encouragement ;  and  to 
prevent  mistakes,  he  shows  the  extent  of  it,  that  it 
was  not  only  to  the  Jews,  that  they  should  live  long 
in  the  land  of  Canaan,  but  to  the  Gentiles  also; 
therefore  the  interpretation  says,  that  thy  days  may 
he  long  on  the  earth. 


16  THE    ROYAL    LAW    CONTENDED    FOR. 

9.  James  gives  a  full  conflTmation  to  what  I  am 
treating  of.  He  convinces  them  of  sin  by  this  law, 
in  having  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ  with  respect  of 
persons,  as  appears  by  chapter  2  :  10,  11,  F(/r  who- 
soever shall  keep  the  whole  law,  and  yet  offend  in  one 
'point,  he  is  guilty  of  all.  He  shows  what  law  he 
means,  and  how  it  is  that  he  who  offends  in  one 
point  is  guilty  of  all  ;  because,  He  that  saith.  Do  not 
commit  adultery,  saith  also,  Do  not  kill ;  now  if  thou 
commit  no  adultery,  yet  if  thou  kill,  thou  art  become 
a  transgressor  of  the  law.  And  John  saith,  Whoso- 
ever coimnitteth  sin  transgresseth  the  law,  for  sin  is 
the  transgression  of  the  law,  (1  John  3  :  3,  4;)  and  in 
the  next  verse  he  explains  what  law  he  means,  and 
saith,  it  was  such  transgression  that  Christ  was  mani- 
fested to  take  away.  Now  if  this  law  of  God  was 
done  away  by  the  death  of  Christ,  sin  could  not  be 
a  transgression  of  it  so  long  after ;  neither  could 
any  be  convinced  of  sin  by  it,  because  it  w^as  not. 
But  the  Apostle  saith.  Whosoever  commit eth  sin  trans- 
gresseth the  law  ;  which  shows  it  was  in  force  then, 
and  not  only  so,  but  that  likewise  it  should  so  re- 
main. 

10.  Let  it  be  considered  whether  this  opinion 
that  the  law  is  done  away  doth  not  clash  with  re- 
demption itself  The  Apostle  states  that  all  men 
were  under  the  law,  and  by  breaking  of  it  they  came 
under  the  curse.  Gal.  3  :  10.  And  Christ  was  made 
under  the  curse,  to  redeem  his  people  from  under 
the  curse  of  the  law,  that  the  blessing  of  Abraham 
might  come  upon  the  Gentiles  through  faith.  Verses 
13,  14.  Now  if  we  were  not  under  the  command- 
ing power,  we  could  not  be  under  the  curse,  (for 
that  follows  disobedience,)  and  if  so,  then  Christ 
was  not  made  a  curse  for  us ;  neither  can  the  bless- 
ing of  Abraham  come  upon  the  Gentiles  upon  that 
account,  if  the  Jews  only  were  under  the  law,  and 


THE    ROYAL    LAW    CONTENDED    FOR.  17 

under  the  curse  of  it.  Christ's  tlying  to  redeem  them 
from  the  curse,  could  not  bring  the  blessing  of 
Abraham  upon  the  Gentiles.  And  again,  the  Apostle 
saith.  that  Christ  was  made  under  (fie  lata,  to  redeem 
them  that  ivere  under  the  law,  that  we  might  receive 
the  adoption  of  sons.  Gal.  4 :  4,  5.  Now  if  we 
were  not  under  the  law,  we  could  not  be  redeemed 
by  Christ's  being  under  the  law,  nor  receive  the 
adoption  of  sons  theieby;  but  it  is  manifest  that 
every  one  is  under  the  commanding  power  of  the 
law,  and  by  nature  under  the  curse  ;  and  Christ 
hath  only  redeemed  his  people  from  the  curse,  but 
they  are  not  redeemed  from  their  obedience  to  the 
law  of  God.  I  find  no  Scripture  that  saith  so ;  but 
the  contrary. 

11.  God  complaineth  of  the  blindness  of  his  ser- 
vants, and  of  the  deafness  of  his  messengers  that  he 
sent,  (Isa.  42  :  19,  20,)  and  their  blindness  and  deaf- 
ness appears  in  this,  that  they  did  not  hear  nor  un- 
derstand God's  design  in  the  gift  of  his  Son,  that 
it  was  not  to  destroy  the  law  or  to  slight  it,  but  to  mag 
nify  it  and  make  it  honorable.  Verse  2.  Previously 
it  was  in  tables  of  stone,  but  now  in  the  fleshy  tables 
of  the  heart;  service  was  then  done  from  a  spirit 
of  bondage,  but  now  from  a  spirit  of  adoption.  And 
in  this  sense  I  conceive  the  law  to  be  magnified  and 
made  honorable,  and  upon  this  account  God  is 
well  pleased  for  his  righteousness'  sake,  that  is,  I 
conceive,  for  his  Son's  sake. 

li.  This  opinion,  that  the  whole  law  is  abolished, 
doth  pull  up  true  magistracy  by  the  roots,  the  office 
of  rulers  being  for  the  punishment  of  evil  doers, 
and  for  the  praise  of  them  that  do  well.  But  if  the 
statutes  and  judgments  be  not  in  force,  there  is  no 
corporeal  punishment  to  be  inflicted  upon  any, 
though  thieves,  murderers,  or  the  like  ;  and  so  there 
is  no  room  for  the  magisterial  power  at  all,  but  men 


18  THE    ROYAL    LAW    CONTENDED    FOR. 

are  left  in  this  respect  as  the  beasts  of  the  field,  to 
shift  one  among  another  as  well  as  they  can.  But 
the  Apostle  saith,  The  law  is  made  for  the  lawless 
and  disobedient,  for  ungodly  and  for  sinners,  for  un- 
holy and  profane,  for  murderers  of  fathers  and  mur- 
derers of  mothers,  for  man-slayers,  &c.  1  Tim.  1  :  9, 
10.  Now  that  this  is  the  law  of  penalties,  is  mani- 
fest, in  that  it  is  said  it  was  not  made  for  a  righteous 
man ;  but  the  ten  commandments  were  for  the 
righteous,  for  the  Psalmist  saith,  Make  me  to  go  in 
the  path  of  thy  commandments,  for  therein  do  I  de- 
light. O  how  love  I  thy  law  !  It  is  my  meditation  all 
the  day.     Psalm  119:*  35,  97. 

And  how  shall  we  have  governors  as  at  the  first, 
and  counsellors  as  at  the  beginning,  (Isa.  1  :  '^^^ 
if  they  have  no  law  to  govern  by  %  If  any  say  we 
shall  have  laws  from  Christ,  and  shall  not  need  those 
laws  that  were  for  the  commonwealth  of  Israel,  I 
answer,  I  know  no  word  of  God  that  doth  give  us 
ground  to  hope  for  any  other  laws  of  Scripture 
then  what  we  have.  And  suppose  that  God  should 
revive  his  work  and  bring  his  enemies  under,  and 
put  opportunity  into  the  hands  of  men  fearing  God 
and  hating  covetousness  to  rule  the  nation,  and  to 
make  laws  according  to  Scripture,  what  could 
they  do  if  the  Scripture  were  not  their  statute-book, 
if  they  should  turn  law-makers  %  Would  not  that  be 
their  sin,  there  being  no  warrant  in  the  Scripture 
for  it  ]  And  would  it  not  bring  all  into  confusion 
again,  and  make  another  Babel  %  For  the  great 
question  which  is  to  be  resolved  in  the  latter  days, 
will  be,  Who  is  our  statute-maker? — which  the 
saints  put  out  of  question  in  Isa.  33  :  22,  The  Lord 
IS  our  Judge,  the  Lord  is  our  Statute-maker,  the  Lord 
is  our  King,  he  will  save  us,  (and  not  king  Omri  with 
his  statutes.)  Mich.  6  :  16.  And  when  the  saints 
come  to  own  this  truth  in  good  earnest,  their  oppo- 


THE    ROYAL    LAW    CONTENDED    FOR.  19 

nents'  tacklings  will  be  loosed;  they  shall  neither 
strengthen  their  masts,  nor  spread  their  sails.  And 
Malachi  tells  us  what  laws  our  King  hath  made, 
which  the  saints  are  to  own  when  the  day  of  the 
Lord  shall  burn  as  an  oven  all  the  proud,  and  the 
Sun  of  Righteousness  arise  upon  all  that  fear  him ; 
when  they  shall  tread  down  the  wicked  with  so  much 
ease  that  they  shall  be  as  ashes  under  the  soles  of 
their  feet,  so  that  it  shall  be  counted  the  Lord's 
doings.  And  in  the  day  that  the  Lord  shall  do  this, 
Remtmher  ye  the  law  of  Moses,  my  servant,  which  I 
commanded  unto  him  in  Horeh  for  all  Israel,  with  the 
statutes  and  judgments.     Mai.  4  :  3,  4. 

I  shall  now  endeavor  to  answer  some  objections 
which  are  usually  brought  against  this  truth,  though 
several  of  them  are  partly  answered  in  the  grounds 
before  mentioned.  I  shall  therefore  say  the  less,  and 
begin  to  speak  something  to  that  Scripture  in  2  Cor- 
inthians, third  chapter,  on  which  the  objectors  chiefly 
build  their  persuasion ;  and  indeed  at  the  first  glance 
thereon,  without  comparing  it  with  other  Scrip- 
tures, it  hath  more  color  for  such  a  purpose  than  all 
the  Scriptures  that  ever  I  heard  brought;  from 
which  Scripture  this  is  objected,  that  the  ten  com- 
mandments were  the  ministration  of  death  and  the 
letter,  and  are  done  away. 

Answer.  That  they  were  the  ministration  of  death 
and  of  the  letter  is  granted,  for  the  Scripture  saith 
so  ;  but  the  Scripture  doth  not  say  that  they  are 
done  away,  as  will  appear,  if  we  consider  the  drift 
of  the  Apostle.  He  endeavoreth  to  show  the  differ- 
ence between  the  ministration  of  the  spirit  and  of 
the  letter,  the  one  being  a  bare  reading  of  the  law, 
from  which  no  life  was  communicated  to  those  that 
heard  it.     The  Apostle  calls   it  the  ministration  of 


20  THE    ROYAL    LAW    CONTENDED    FOR. 

condemnation,  that  is,  it  lays  open  sin,  and  the  curse 
for  sin,  but  it  is  the  gospel  ministration  which  holds 
forth  justification  and  strength  against  sin ;  not  that 
the  ten  commandments  in  themselves  were  death  to 
any — God  forbid!  as  the  Apostle  saith  in  Rom.  7: 
13 ;  but  sin,  when  it  is  finished,  bringeth  forth  death ; 
and  the  commandments  preach  death  to  the  trans- 
gressors of  them,  so  that  they  are  called  the  minis- 
tration of  death  and  condemnation,  because  man 
hath  broken  them,  and  so  is  under  the  curse  of  them, 
which  Christ  hath  delivered  believers  from,  (Rom. 
3 :  13  ;)  and  the  ministration  of  it  is  really  done 
away,  that  is,  as  I  said  before,  the  reading  of  the 
law  by  a  typical  priesthood,  which  the  Jews  would 
have  set  up  in  the  room  and  place  of  the  ministra- 
tion of  the  spirit.  And  whereas  they  lived  under  the 
hearing  of  the  bare  letter  of  the  law,  which  gave 
no  strength  to  perform,  we  live  under  the  hearing 
of  the  gospel,  which  is  spirit  and  life.  John  6  :  36. 
But  that  the  matter  of  the  law,  or  commanding 
power  of  it,  should  be  done  away,  this  Scripture 
doth  not  in  the  least  prove,  but  it  is  used  in  the 
hand  of  the  Spirit  to  convince  of  sin.  This  the 
same  Apostle  proves  in  Rom.  7  :  7,  where  he  saith, 
I  had  not  known  sin  hut  hy  the  law  ;  I  had  not  known 
lust  except  the  law  had  said,  Thou  shalt  not  covet. 
This  will  appear  evident  if  we  consider  the  same 
chapter  from  verse  8  to  verse  14. 

Ohj.  2.  Another  Scripture  is  frequently  urged 
from  Acts  7  :  37 — A  j^^'oph^t  shall  the  Lord  youi 
God  raise  up  unto  you  of  your  hrethren,  like  unto  me  ; 
him  shall  ye  hear.  From  which  it  is  concluded,  that 
we  are  to  hearken  only  to  Christ  and  not  to  Moses. 

Ans.  If  by  hearing  of  Christ  you  mean  hear- 
ing only  what  he  spake  with  his  own  lips  when  he 
was  on  earth,  then  we  are  not  to  hear  hear  his  apos* 


THE    ROYAL    LAW    CONTENDED    FOR.  21 

Jus.  But  if  you  mean,  by  hearing  of  him,  to  hear 
what  he  spake  upon  earth  and  what  he  spake  by  his 
Spirit  in  liis  apostles,  then  why  are  we  not  to  hear 
what  he  spake  by  his  Spirit  to  his  prophets,  seeing 
we  are  built  upon  the  foundation  of  the  apostles  and 
prophets,  Christ  being  the  chief  corner-stone.  Eph. 
21  :  20.  And  if  those  who  are  of  this  persuasion 
would  be  true  to  their  principle  to  hear  Christ,  hear 
him  what  he  saith  in  Luke  16  :  31 — They  have  Moses 
and  the  projihets,  let  them  hear  them  ;  for  if  they  will 
not  believe  Moses  and  the  proj)hets,  neither  tvill  they 
he  persuaded  though  one  rose  from  the  dead.  And  he 
counsels  to  keep  the  commandments,  (Matt.  19  :  17, 
18,)  and  reproves  for  the  breach  of  them,  as  also 
for  the  making  them  void  by  traditions,  (Matt.  15  : 
6,)  as  might  be  made  to  appear  by  many  other 
Scriptures.  Therefore  there  is  nothing  of  weight 
in  this  objection  to  shake  the  thing  asserted.  But 
for  a  more  full  answer  to  this  objection  and  the 
former,  I  must  needs  entreat  the  reader  to  see  my 
other  book  on  the  Sabbath. 

Ohj.  3.  Moses  was  faithful  over  his  house  as 
a  servant,  so  Christ  is  faithful  over  his  house  as  a 
son.  Now,  if  Christ  hath  not  given  us  all  the  laws 
that  we  are  to  observe,  this  is  to  make  Christ  less 
faithful  than  Moses. 

Ans.  Doubtless  Christ  as  a  son  is  faithful  over 
his  house,  as  Moses  was  faithful  over  his  house  as  a 
servant.  But  we  are  to  consider,  what  was  Moses' 
house,  and  what  is  Christ's  house.  Moses'  house, 
I  conceive,  was  the  Tabernacle  ;  his  faithfulness  did 
appear  in  that  he  did  all  things  according  to  the 
pattern  showed  him  in  the  Mount.  Christ's  house 
is  the  saints,  the  true  tabernacle  which  the  Lord 
hath  pitched  and  not  man,  (Heb.  8 :  2,  5,)  of  which 
the  other  was  a  shadow.     And  as  Moses  as  a  servant 


22  THE    ROYAL    LAW    CONTENDED    FOR. 

gave  forth  ordinances  for  his  house,  so  Christ  as  a 
son  has  given  out  ordinances  for  his  house.  But 
the  ten  commandments  are  a  law  which  belongs  to 
men  as  they  are  men,  though  they  be  no  part  of 
Christ's  house,  it  being,  as  before  proved,  the  law 
written  in  their  very  hearts. 

Ohj.  4.  But  when  certain  of  the  sect  of  the  phari- 
sees  arose  and  said  it  was  needful  to  be  circumcised 
and  keep  the  law  of  Moses,  the  Apostle  proves  them 
to  be  tempters  of  God,  in  putting  a  yoke  upon  the 
neck  of  the  disciples,  which  neither  they  nor  their 
fathers  were  able  to  bear.     Acts  15  :  5,  10. 

Ans.  Are  the  ten  commandments  such  a  yoke  as 
is  not  to  be  borne  %  Is  it  a  yoke  to  have  no  other 
God  but  Jehovah,  and  to  abstain  from  murder, 
theft,  adultery,  and  the  like  1  For  so  it  must  be,  if 
you  judge  that  the  whole  law  is  here  slighted.  But 
the  thing  under  discussion  here  is,  whether  such  and 
such  laws  are  to  be  kept  or  not,  and  the  stress  that 
is  laid  upon  the  keeping  of  them,  namely,  the  press- 
ing of  them  as  things  without  which  they  could  not 
be  saved,  as  in  Acts  15  :  1  ;  and  therefore  the 
Apostle,  in  answer  to  this,  shows  that  the  Gentiles 
had  received  the  gos^^el  and  did  believe,  God  hav- 
ing given  to  them  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  put  no  differ- 
ence between  them  and  the  Jews,  purifying  their 
hearts  by  faith,  (verses  7 — 9,)  and  that  through  the 
grace  of  Jesus  Christ  both  Jews  and  Gentiles  should 
be  saved,  (verse  11;)  and  as  the  Apostle  opposeth 
the  keeping  of  these  laws  foi"  such  a  purpose  as  to 
be  saved  thereby,  so  the  bare  keeping  of  them  is 
forbidden.  And  therefore  James  saith,  (verses  19, 
20,)  Mij  sentence  is,  that  ive  trouble  not  them  ivhich 
from  among  the  Gentiles  are  tiirned  unto  God,  hut  that 
we  write  unto  them  that  they  abstain  from  pollutions 
of  idols,  from  fornication,  from  things  strangled,  and 


THE    ROYAL    LAW    CONTENDED    FOR.  23 

from  hlood.  So  that  the  Apostle's  judgment  is,  that 
the  Gentiles  should  keep  some  part  of  the  law. 
And  therefore  the  question  was  not,  whether  any 
part  of  the  law  should  be  kept ;  and  the  reason  why 
they  would  write  no  more  seems  to  be  in  verse  20, 
For  Moses  of  old  time  hath  in  every  city  them  that 
preach  him,  being  read  in  the  synagogues  every  Sab- 
bath day.  So  the  apostles  and  elders  write,  in  verse 
24,  Forasmuch  as  we  have  heard  that  certain  men  that 
went  out  from  %is  have  troubled  you  with  words,  sub- 
verting your  souls,  saying,  Ye  must  be  circumcised  and 
keep  the  law,  to  whom  we  gave  no  such  commandment. 
Now  can  we  be  so  gross  as  to  think,  that  it  is  subvert- 
ing men's  souls,  and  contrary  to  the  commandments 
of  the  apostles  and  elders,  to  bid  them  love  the  Lord 
their  God  with  all  their  hearts  and  with  all  their 
strength,  and  to  worship  him  alone,  and  not  to  take 
his  name  in  vain,  and  the  like  1  This  is  to  keep 
the  law.  But  the  difference  was  about  other  laws 
as  well  as  circumcision,  and  they  are  as  really  for- 
bidden to  keep  them,  as  they  are  forbidden  circum- 
cision ;  and  therefore  it  cannot  be  the  law  of  the 
ten  commandments,  but  the  law  of  shadows,  as  is 
manifest  by  chapter  21.  When  Paul  came  to  Jeru- 
salem, the  brethren  told  him  that  it  was  reported 
that  he  taught  all  the  Jews  which  were  among  the 
Gentiles  to  forsake  Moses,  saying,  that  they  ought 
not  to  circumcise  their  children,  neither  to  walh  after 
the  customs,  (verse  21 ;)  therefore  they  counseled  Paul 
to  purify  himself,  with  some  others,  that  it  might  be 
seen  that  he  walked  orderly  and  kept  the  law. 
Verse  24.  But  as  touching  the  Gentiles  which  believe, 
we  have  written  and  concluded  that  they  observe  no 
such  things.  Verse  25.  So  that  it  i-s  very  clear,  that 
it  is  circumcision  and  the  customs  that  is  here  called 
the  law  of  Moses,  which  the  Gentiles  were  com- 
manded not  to  keep.     But  to  think  that  the  Gentiles 


24  THE    ROYAL    LAW    CONTENDED    FOR. 

should  be  forbidden  to  keep  the  law  of  God  that  was 
written  in  their  natures  is  abominable,  and  contrary 
both  to  Scripture  and  reason. 

Obj.  5.  But  the  Scripture  saith,  Cast  out  the 
bond-woman  and  her  son,  for  the  son  of  the  bond-wo- 
man shall  not  be  heir  with  tlteson  of  the  free -wo  man  ; 
which  bond-woman  was  an  allegory  of  the  covenant 
from  Mount  Sinai,  and  therefore  to  be  cast  out. 

Ans.  The  Apostle  is  here  showing  how  im- 
possible it  is  for  works  and  gi'ace  to  stand  together 
in  point  of  justification;  for  this  people  were  seek- 
ing to  be  justified  by  the  works  of  the  law.  He 
shows  the  difference  betwixt  the  two  covenants,  one 
of  works  gendering  to  bondage,  the  righteousness  of 
the  law  being  this,  that  the  man  thatdoeth  these  things 
should  live  in  them,  (Rom.  10  :  5  ;)  the  other  of  grace 
or  free  promise,  without  any  respect  to  man's  right- 
eousness. He  shows  that  the  sons  of  the  covenants 
are  like  unto  their  mothers  ;  the  sons  of  the  one  cov- 
enant are  born  after  the  flesh,  the  sons  of  the  other 
by  promise ;  and  those  that  are  born  after  the  flesh 
persecute  those  that  are  born  after  the  Spirit. 
Nevertheless,  what  saith  the  Scripture  ?  Cast  out 
the  bond-woman  and  her  son,  for  the  son  of  the  bond- 
woman shall  not  be  heir  loith  the  son  of  the  free-wo- 
man ;  that  is,  the  covenant  of  works  with  those 
that  seek  to  be  justified  thereby,  Christ  being  the 
end  of  the  law  for  righteousness  to  every  one  that  be- 
lieveth.  Rom.  10  :  4.  But  if  we  should  understand 
the  ten  commandments  in  themselves  to  be  the 
bond-woman,  then  it  is  impossible  for  them  that 
keep  them  to  be  heirs  or  children  of  the  promise, 
but  they  must  be  cast  out  as  children  of  the  bond- 
woman, which  is  very  en-oneous,  and  contrary  to 
the  cun-ent  of  the  Scriptures.  For  the  doers  of  the 
law  are  justified  before  Grod,  (Rom.  2 :  13,)  though 


THE    ROYAL    LAW    CONTENDED    FOR.  25 

not  for  doing.  And  mark  how  the  Apostle  forbids 
this  notion  in  Romans  3  :  31 — Do  we  then  make  void 
the  law  through  faith  1  God  forbid  !  Shall  we  con- 
tinue in  sin,  or  transgress  the  law,  that  grace  may 
abound  ?  God  forbid  !  Rom.  6  :  1,  2.  Is  the  law 
sin  1  God  forbid !  Rom.  7 :  7.  Was  the  law, 
which  icas good,  made  death  unto  me  1  God  forbid  ! 
Verse  13.  Shall  we  transgress  the  law  because  we 
are  not  under  the  condemning  power  of  it,  (Christ 
having  redeemed  us  from  it  i)  God  forbid  !  Rom. 
6 :  15*  Certainly  the  Scripture  did  foresee  how 
apt  men  would  be  to  slight  and  make  void  the  law 
of  God  under  specious  pretences,  as  their  being  be- 
lievers, and  Gentiles  which  had  not  the  law  given 
to  them,  but  that  they  are  under  grace,  and  the 
like.  If  the  uncircumcision  keep  the  righteousness  of 
the  law,  shall  not  his  uncircumcision  be  counted  for  cir- 
cumcision 1     Rom.  2  :  26. 

Consider  these  quries — 1.  If  the  whole  law  was 
done  away  by  the  death  of  Christ,  why  did  the 
Apostle  spend  so  much  time  to  prove  that  by  the 
works  of  the  law  none  could  be  justified,  (Gal.  3,) 
seeing  there  was  no  law  to  work  upon  ?  Would 
it  not  have  been  a  nearer  way  to  have  told  them 
that  the  law  was  abolished] 

2.  If  the  whole  law  was  done  away  at  the  death 
of  Christ,  how  can  any  part  of  it  be  now  in  force  '? 
If  it  be  said  it  is  upon  a  new  account,  show  me  any 
one  law  that  Christ  hath  orice  destroyed  and  again 
revived,  seeing  the  Apostle  saith,  if  he  should  build 
again  the  things  that  he  destroyed,  he  should  make 
himself  a  transgressor.     Gal.  2  :    14. 

3.  What  Scripture  proves  that  we  have  any  one  of 
the  ten  commandments  given  out  on  a  new  account  ? 

4.  If  the  whole  law  be  done  away,  what  law  is 
there  for  the  punishment  of  evil-doers,  thieves,  mur- 
derevs,  and  the  like  % 


26  TIIK    ROYAL    LAW    (CONTENDED    fOR. 

5.  If  the  ten  commandments  are  to  be  abolished, 
how  is  it  that  the  Loi-d  hath  annexed  so  many  great 
and  precious  promises  to  the  keeping  of  them  and 
delighting  in  them,  as  in  Psalms  1  :  1 — 4,  and  many 
other  places,  which  do  of  right  belong  to  such  as 
keep  the  commandments  ]     Rev,  22  :   14. 

6.  How  is  it  that  the  Apostle  saith,  the  law  is 
good  if  a  man  use  it  lawfully,  (1  Tim.  1  :  8,)  if  at 
the  same  time  there  be  no  law? 

7.  If  the  law  was  done  away  at  the  death  of 
Christ,  when  was  it  given  again  upon  a  new  account  ? 
If  it  was  given  before  his  death,  (in  the  5th  chapter 
of  Matthew,)  then  how  is  it  that  the  law  that  was 
given  on  Sinai  stood  in  force  till  that  time  ?  Could 
they  both  stand  in  force  at  once  ]  If  not  till  after 
the  death  of  Christ,  then  when  was  it  given  out, 
seeing  that  we  find  not  any  of  the  commandments 
so  m.uch  as  mentioned  for  a  long  time  after  the 
death  of  Christ?  Can  we  think  the  saints  and  the 
world  were  left  without  a  law? 

8.  How  is  it  that  we  contend  for  governors  as  at 
the  first,  and  counsellors  as  at  the  beginning,  seeing 
there  is  no  law  for  them  to  rule  and  govern  by,  if  this 
doctrine  be  true,  that  the  whole  law  is  done  away? 

Thus  I  have  endeavored  in  a  measure  to  prove, 
that  the  ten  commandments  are  not  only  in  force  to 
unbelievers,  but  also  to  believers.  But  believers 
are  not  under  the  law  so  as  to  be  justified  or  con- 
demned by  it ;  not  under  it  as  a  covenant  of  works 
and  ministration  of  death,  but  under  it  as  a  right- 
eous rule  of  life — a  holy,  just,  and  good  law ;  so  they 
are  under  it,  and  do  delight  in  it.  Rom.  7  :  22  ; 
Psalms  119  :  70,  72,  97;  1  Cor.  9  :  21.  It  is  time 
for  thee,  Lord,  to  work  ;  for  they  have  made  void  thy 
law,  (Psalms  119  :  122.)  Therefore  I  esteem  all  thy 
precepts  concerning  all  things  to  be  right,  and  I  hate 
every  false  ivay,  (Verse  128.) 


THE  SEVENTH  DAT  IS  THE  SABBATH. 


If  the  ten  commandments  be  in  force,  every  jot 
and  tittle  of  them,  it  must  necessarily  follow  that 
the  seventh  day  is  the  Sabbath,  and  is  to  be  observ- 
ed according  to  the  commandment.  But  because 
there  is  much  opposition  against  this  truth,  I  shall 
offer  something  in  particular  to  it,  which  may  tend 
to  the  clearing  of  it. 

1.  It  was  instituted  by  God  before  the  fall  of  man, 
as  appears  in  Gen.  1  :  31 — And  God  saw  ever^/  thing 
that  he  had  made,  and  behold  it  ivas  very  good.  But 
when  man  sinned,  God  changed  his  voice,  and  then 
the  ground  was  cursed  for  his  sake.  Gen.  3  :  17. 
Farther,  God  was  six  days  upon  his  work  of  crea- 
tion, and  rested  not  until  the  seventh  day.  Now, 
betwixt  the  end  of  the  sixth  day  and  the  beginning 
of  the  seventh  day,  there  is  no  interval  or  space  of 
time,  (chap.  1 :  31,2:  2 ;)  then  why  should  it  be 
thought  that  the  Sabbath  was  a  shadow  to  hold 
forth  rest  by  faith,  and  why  should  we  run  into  such 
imacjinations  concerning-  the  cause  of  God's  insti- 
tuting  the  Sabbath,  seeing  God  so  plainly  declaimed 
it  himself,  namely,  that  he  Messed  the  seventh  day  and 
sanctified  it,  because  that  in  it  he  rested  from  all  his 
works  ivhich  God  created  and  made.     Gen.  2  :   3. 

2.  The  reason  that  the  Lord  gave  when  he  com- 
manded the  observance  of  the  seventh  day,  was  as 
before,  because  that  in  six  days  the  Lord  made  heaven 
and  earth,  the  sea,  and  all  that  i?i  them  is,  and  rested 
the  seventh  day,  icherefore  the  Lord,  blessed  the  Sab- 
bath day  and,  hallowed  it,  (Exod.  20  :  11 ;)  and  it  is 
as  a  motive  to  provoke  man  to  follow  the  Lord's  ex- 
ample frf)m  tlit^   bo'jrnmiMo;,  both    in    work  and  rest 


28      THE  SEVENTH  DAY    IS  THE  SABBATH. 

Six  days,  saith  the  Lord,  thou  shall  labor  and  do  all 
thy  work,  but  the  seventh  day  is  the  Sabbath  of  the 
Lord,  thy  God ;  in  it  thou  shall  do  no  manner  of  work. 
And  if  thou  vvouldest  know  a  reason  why  thou 
shouldcst  do  so,  it  is  because  I  the  Lord  thy  God 
did  so.  And  truly,  to  me  it  is  clear,  that  one  main 
reason  why  the  Lord  took  so  much  time  as  six  days 
to  cieato  all  things  in,  and  rested  the  seventh  day, 
was  to  show  man  an  example,  and  what  he  ought 
to  do.  Doubtless  God  could  have  made  all  things 
in  a  moment ;  but  six  days  he  works,  and  rests  the 
seventh  day,  that  man  might  do  the  same,  and  there- 
by not  only  hold  forth  the  creating  power  of  God, 
and  the  method  that  he  was  pleased  to  take  in  the 
cieation,  hut  also  his  great  mercy  in  instructing  and 
commanding  man  to  work  six  days  and  rust  the 
seventh,  that  he  might  be  refreshed. 

3.  It  plainly  appears,  that  this  institution  was  in 
foj"ce  and  to  be  observed  from  the  beginning,  though 
no  ijiention  is  made  of  the  patriarchs  observing  it, 
no  more  than  of  their  sacrificing  and  doing  many 
other  things,  which  it  is  judged  that  they  did,  not- 
withstanding we  hear  nothing  of  them.  But  con- 
sider, God  rested  the  seventh  day  and  sanctified  it. 
Now  to  profane  that  which  God  sanctifies  doubtless 
is  a  sin ;  and  had  they  done  servile  work  upon  the 
Sabbath,  they  had  profaned  it.  Neh.  13  :  16,  17. 
And  what  the  Lord  said  to  Peter,  in  another  case, 
may  be  rightly  said  in  this,  namely,  What  God  hath 
sanctified,  that  call  not  thou  common  or  unclean.  Acts 
10:  15.  And  the  Lord,  when  he  gave  forth  this 
command,  saith.  Remember  the  Sabbath,  to  note  the 
importani'e  of  it,  and  the  antiquity  of  it,  it  being  no 
new  tiling--,  but  from  the  beginning;  and  that  the 
Lord  uroes,  in  verse  11,  as  the  cause  why  it  was  to 
be  obsel^ed.  Israel  observed  the  Sabbath  before 
the  giviiKj  of  the  law  on  Mount  Sinai,  as  appears  in 


THE  SEVRNTH  DAY  IS  THE  SABBATH.      29 

Exod.  16  :  23,  25,  26.  But  mark  what  Nehemiah 
saith  to  this  in,  chapter  9  :  13, 14,  Thou  earnest  down 
also  upon  Mount  Sinai,  and  spakest  with  them  from 
heaven,  and  gavest  them  right  judgments  and  true 
laws,  good  statutes  and  commandments,  and  madest 
known  also  unto  them  thy  holy  Sabbath.  Mark,  this 
commandment  is  singled  out  from  all  the  rest,  and 
is  said  to  be  made  known  to  them,  which  shows  that 
it  was  in  being  before,  though  probably  they  might 
lose  the  observation  of  it,  by  reason  of  their  hard 
bondage  in  Egypt.  However,  it  is  plain  that  they 
had  need  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Sabbath,  and 
God  makes  it  known  unto  them.  And  Christ  leads  us 
plainly  to  the  first  institution  of  it  when  he  saith, 
The  Sabbath  was  made  for  man,  and  not  majifor  the 
Sabbath.  He  points  to  the  making  of  it,  and  for 
whom  it  was  made,  not  for  the  Jews  only  as  Jews, 
but  for  man,  before  there  was  any  such  distinction 
as  Jew  and  Gentile  ;  and  in  that  it  was  made  for 
man,  which  was  the  public  person  or  representative 
of  the  whole  of  mankind,  it  was  made  for  all  men, 
Adam  standing  as  a  public  person  before  his  fall. 

4.  Our  Lord  Jesus  doth  show  the  true  end  of 
God's  giving  the  Sabbath,  and  also  how  it  ought  to 
be  kept,  and  shows  the  pharisees  their  mistake  in 
the  observation  of  it,  they  being  so  rigid  that  they 
would  not  suffer  good  works  and  works  of  mercy 
to  be  done,  though  there  were  necessity  for  the  do- 
ing of  them,  as  will  appear  if  we  consider  the  fol- 
lowing Scriptures  :  The  pharisees  asked  Christ  if  it 
was  lawful  to  heal  on  the  Sabbath  day,  that  they 
might  accuse  him,  (Matt.  12  :  10,)  and  his  answer 
was  this,  What  man  is  there  among  you  that  shall  have 
one  sheep,  and  if  it  fall  into  a  yit  on  the  Sabbath  day, 
will  he  not  lay  hold-  on  it  and  lift  it  out  1  How  much 
then  is  a  man  better  than  a  sheep  1  Wherefore  it  is 
lawful  to  do  good  on  the  Sabbath  day.      Matt.    12 : 


30  THE    SEVENTH    DAY    IS    THE    SA15BATH. 

10 — 12.  Again,  the  pharisees  told  Christ  that  his 
disciples  did  that  which  was  not  lawful,  because 
they  pulled  the  ears  of  corn  upon  the  Sabbath  day. 
But  mind  the  answer  of  Christ,  Have  ye  not  read 
what  David  did  when  he  was  a  hungered  and  had 
need,  how  he  entered  into  the  house  of  God,  and  did 
eat  the  shcw-hread,  which  it  is  not  lawful  for  any  to 
eat  hut  the  priests  1  Mark  2  :  24 — 26.  Have  ye  not 
read  in  the  law,  that  the  priests  in  the  temple  profane 
the  Sabbath  day  and  are  blameless?  Matt.  12:  5. 
It  was  not  unlawful  to  pluck  the  ears  of  corn  when 
they  went  through  their  neighbor's  field,  for  that 
they  might  do  by  the  law  of  God,  (Deut.  23  :  25,) 
and  that  the  pharisees  knew  very  well ;  but  they 
thought  it  was  unlawful  because  they  did  it  upon 
the  Sabbath  day.  But  mark  the  answer  of  Christ, 
how  he  cleared  the  disciples ;  it  was  unlawful  for 
David  to  eat  the  shew-bread,  buthe  was  a  hungered 
and  had  need,  and  therefore  to  be  excused.  If 
the  disciples  had  pulled  the  ears  of  corn  whien  they 
had  no  need,  upon  the  Sabbath  day,  it  had  been  do- 
ing of  needless  work,  and  so  had  been  unlawful. 
But  the  text  saith  they  were  a  hungered,  therefore 
they  might  do  it,  it  being  a  work  of  mercy  as  David's 
was.  And  the  same  may  be  said  of  the  priests'  pro- 
faning the  Sabbath,  who,  notwithstanding,  are  said 
to  be  blameless.  Their  preparation  of  the  sacrifices 
was  allowed,  which  work  in  itself  would  have  been 
counted  servile  work,  but  that  it  was  for  such  a 
merciful  end,  namely,  the  sins  of  the  people;  there- 
fore saith  Christ,  Had  ye  known  what  this  meaneth,  1 
will  have  mercy  and  not  sacrifice,  ye  would  not  have 
condemned  the  guiltless.  Matt.  12:7.  Clearly  proving 
that  the  Sabbath  was  to  be  observed,  (but  not  so  as 
to  break  another  command,  to  neglect  mercy,  which 
the  pharisees  would  do,)  and  that  his  disciples,  in  hav- 
ing mercy  on  their  bodies,  were  no  Sabbath-breakers. 


THE  SEVENTH  DAY  IS  THE  SAHBATII.      31 

Farther,  observe  what  Christ  saith  in  Mark  2  :  27, 
The  Sabbath  was  ?jiadejhr  man,  and  not  man  for  the 
Sabbath.  The  pharisees  made  themselves  slaves  and 
bond-men  by  making  the  Sabbath  a  yoke,  (whereas 
it  should  have  been  a  delight,  Isa.  58  :  13,)  by  super- 
stitious outside  performances,  as  though  man  had 
been  made  for  the  Sabbath.  But  Christ  tells  them, 
it  was  made  for  man,  that  is,  for  the  good  and  bene- 
fit of  man,  that  he  might  rest  from  his  labors  and  be 
refreshed,  as  they  were  in  Exod.  31 :  17.  And  thus 
you  see  how  clearly  our  Lord  hath  given  the  sense 
of  this  law.  It  is  lawful  to  do  well  upon  the  Sab- 
bath day,  to  visit  the  sick  and  to  heal  them,  and  to 
do  works  of  mercy  to  our  own  and  others'  bodies, 
the  Sabbath  being  made  for  man. 

5.  Jesus  Christ  declares  himself  to  be  Lord  even 
of  the  Sabbath  day,  (Matt.  12  :  8,)  and  he  takes  his 
title  thus  :  The  Sabbath,  saith  he,  teas  made  for  man, 
and  not  man  for  the  Sabbath  ;  therefore  the  Son  of 
Man  is  Lord  even  of  the  Sabbath  day.  Here  seems 
to  be  two  things  from  whence  Christ  takes  this  title. 
First,  the  Sabbath  was  made  for  man,  that  is,  as  be- 
fore was  said,  for  Adam,  and  so  for  all  men,  being 
made  for  him  before  his  fall.  Now,  Christ  being 
the  Son  of  Man,  the  chief  man,  or  second  Adam, 
the  man  of  God's  right  hand,  the  heir  of  all  things, 
is  of  right  Lord  even  of  the  Sabbath  day.  Second^ 
the  Sabbath  was  made  for  man,  that  is,  for  the  good 
of  man,  and  in  mercy  to  man,  as  is  said  before. 
Therefore,  Christ  being  the  author  of  all  good,  the 
giver  of  all  mercy,  he  is  Lord  of  it;  and,  therefore, 
Christ  doth  not  slight  the  Sabbath  (as  some  do  im- 
agine) by  saying  he  is  Lord  of  it,  as  though  he 
were  not  to  keep  it,  or  that  his  intent  was  to  change 
it. ,  That  were  to  strip  himself  of  his  title,  or  else 
to  entitle  himself  Lord  of  that  which  was  not.  But 
in  that  it  is   said  Christ  is   Lord  of  the  Sabbath,  it 


32      THE  SEVENTH  DAY  IS  THE  SABBATH. 

proves  the  Sabbath  to  be  in  force.  As  Christ  proves 
the  resurrection,  in  Mark  12  :  26,  27 — I  am  the  God 
of  Abraham,  the  God  of  Isaac,  the  God  of  Jacob  ;  1 
am  not  the  God  of  the  dead,  bat  of  the  living — so 
Christ  is  Lord  of  the  Sabbath  day.  He  is  not  Lord 
of  the  dead  types  and  shadov^s,  or  of  that  which 
is  not  in  being,  but  he  is  Lord  of  the  Hvely 
oracles,  of  which  I  consider  the  Sabbath  to  be  one. 
Acts  7  ;  38. 

Objection.  But  did  not  Christ  break  the  Sabbath, 
and  teach  men  so  to  do,  in  bidding  the  impotent 
man  take  up  his  bed  and  walk,  it  being  unlawful  to 
carry  a  burden  upon  the  Sabbath  day  i 

Ansiver.  The  scribes  and  pharisees  said  so,  in- 
deed, and  that  his  bed  was  a  burden ;  but  they 
were  very  unfit  judges,  they  being  ignorant  of  the 
right  manner  of  observing  the  Sabbath,  and  seeking 
likewise  to  take  advantage  against  Christ  in  his 
words  and  actions.  Their  saying  the  man's  bed  was 
a  burden,  and  that  it  was  unlawful  for  him  to  carry 
it,  doth  prove  no  more  that  was  it  so,  than  their  say- 
ing that  the  disciples  did  break  the  Sabbath  in  plucy- 
ing  the  ears  of  corn,  and  Christ  in  healing  the  dis- 
eased. But  was  not  this  a  work  of  mercy,  the  man 
having  been  lame  so  long  in  the  porch  now  being 
cured  %  Was  it  not  meet  that  he  should  be  released 
from  the  place,  and  take  his  bed  with  him  to  lay  on 
at  night  1  (for  it  is  likely  he  had  no  other.)  And  who 
can  say  that  it  was  a  burden  ]  In  some  countries 
that  which  they  call  a  bed  is  no  heavier  than  a  good 
cloak  or  coat.  But  consider  what  gross  wickedness 
naturally  flows  from  this  opinion.  The  objectors 
themselves,  and  all,  must  acknowledge  that  the 
whole  law  was  in  force  till  the  death  of  Christ — the 
very  shadows,  till  he  nailed  them  to  his  cross ;  then 
the  fourth  commandment   doubtless   was  in  force. 


THE  SEVENTH  DAY  IS  THE  SABBATH.       33 

Now,  to  say  that  Christ  broke  it,  and  taught  men  so, 
is  to  say  that  Christ  sinned,  and  taught  men  to  sin, 
(for  sin  is  the  transgression  of  the  law,)  and  this  roots 
up  redemption  by  Christ ;  for  if  Christ  was  a  sinner, 
he  could  not  be  a  Saviour.  He  had  not  been  a 
meet  offering  for  the  sins  of  others;  he  had  been  a 
sinner  himself.  But  he  was  offered  up  a  Lamb  with- 
out spot,  (Heb.  7  :  26,  1  Peter  1  :  19,)  and  was 
made  sin  for  us,  that  knew  no  sin,  (2  Cor.  5:2;)  and 
therefore  this  objection  is  made  so  gross,  that  every 
sincere  heart  that  sees  the  tendency  of  it  will  not 
touch  it ;  and  indeed  I  had  not  mentioned  it  here, 
but  that  many  through  weakness  have  taken  it  up 
as  a  sufficient  ground  to  prove  the  making  void  of  the 
Sabbath,  for  want  of  looking  into  the  bottom  of  it. 
6.  Another  ground  to  prove  the  Sabbath  yet  to 
be  in  force,  may  be  taken  from  the  words  of  Christ 
to  his  disciples  in  Matt.  24  :  20 — But  pray  ye  that 
your  flight  he  not  in  the  winter,  nor  07i  the  Sahhath 
day  ;  which  is  part  of  the  answer  Christ  gave  them 
when  they  came  privately  to  him  to  ask  him  when 
the  destruction  of  the  temple  should  be,  the  signs 
of  his  coming,  and  the  end  of  the  world.  It  is  gen- 
erally conceived  that  this  part  of  Christ's  answer 
relates  to  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  ;  and,  indeed, 
that  is  the  shortest  time  that  can  be  thought  it  re- 
lates to,  as  appears  by  the  question  which  was  ask- 
ed him.  But  suppose  it  to  be  so  ;  doth  it  not  plainly 
appear  from  hence,  that  the  Sabbath  was  to  remain 
in  full  force  after  the  death  of  Christ  %  The  de- 
struction of  Jerusalem  was  about  forty  years  after 
the  death  of  Christ,  and  yet  he  commands  his  dis- 
ciples to  pray  that  their  flight  be  not  in  the  winter, 
neither  on  the  Sabbath  day.  Now,  can  we  think  that 
Christ  would  lay  such  a  foundation  for  superstition, 
as  though  the  Sabbath  was  to  be  at  the  ruin  of  Je- 
rusalem, when  it  was  to  cease  at  his  death  %     Or  can 


34  TliK    SEVKNTll     i  J  A  V     IS     illi;    iSAIUJAT  II. 

we  think  that  Christ  would  teach  his  disciples  U 
pray  false,  or  to  pray  that  their  flight  should  not  be  on 
the  Sabbath,  when  indeed  there  was  to  be  no  Sab- 
bath ?  This  is  gross  to  imagine ;  for  as  sure  as 
winter  was  to  remain  winter,  so  the  Sabbath  was  to 
remain  the  Sabbath.  And  if  their  flight  had  been 
upon  it,  it  would  have  been  the  more  tedious,  it  be- 
ing a  day  of  rest  and  refreshment  to  them,  wherein 
they  used  to  rejoice  and  praise  the  Lord,  as  ap- 
pears by  that  song  for  the  Sabbath  day,  in  Paslm 
92.  But  although  this  Scripture  looks  to  the  de- 
struction of  Jerusalem,  yet  1  conceive  that  it  looks 
farther,  even  to  that  distress  that  Jerusalem  shall  be 
in  at  the  second  cominof  of  Christ,  and  that  for 
these  reasons  : — 

1st.  Those  things  that  Christ  spake  of  were  ac- 
complished in  a  measure  in  the  apostles'  days ;  and 
yet  they  are  not  completely  fulfilled.  For  instance, 
Christ  told  his  disciples  that  they  should  be  deliver- 
ed up  to  be  killed,  and  they  should  be  hated  of  all 
nations  for  his  name's  sake.  This  was  in  the  apos- 
tles' days,  and  hath  been  since ;  and  false  prophets 
did  arise  then,  and  so  they  have  since.  So  that 
those  things  which  Christ  spake  looked  to  several 
times,  and  therefore,  I  conceive,  he  saith,  Verily  I 
say  unto  you,  tlds  generation  shall  not  jjass  till  all 
these  tilings  he  fill  filled.  So  I  judge  that  what  he 
spake  concerning  Jerusalem  had  not  only  respect 
to  that  destruction  that  came  upon  it  during  that 
generation,  but  also  to  that  great  calamity  that 
should  be  upon  it  in  the  last  days. 

2d.  This  will  more  plainly  appear,  if  we  consider 
the  words  of  Christ,  ^ut  jnay  ye  that  yovj-  flight 
he  not  in  the  winter,  nor  on  the  Sahhath  day  ;  for  then 
shall  he  great  tribulation,  such  as  teas  not  since  the  he- 
ginning  of  the  world  to  this  time,  no,  nor  ever  shall 
he.     Matt.  24 :  20,  21.      Now,  with  this  compare 


THE  SEVENTH  DAY  IS  THE  SABBATH.      35 

Zech.  14:2,  Fur  I  loill  gather  all  nations  against 
Jerusalem  to  battle,  and  they  shall  he  taken,  and  the 
houses  rifled,  and  the  women  ravished.  And  in  the 
third  and  fourth  verses  it  is  said,  Then  shall  the 
Lord  go  forth  and  fight  against  those  nations,  as 
when  he  fought  in  the  day  of  battle,  and  his  feet  shall 
stand  in  that  day  upon  the  Mount  of  Olives.  With 
which  compare  Dan.  12  :  1,  2,  And  at  that  time  shall 
Michael  stand  up,  the  great  Prince  which  .sta7ideth  for 
the  children  of  thy  people  ;  and  there  shall  be  a  time 
of  trouble,  such  as  never  was  since  there  teas  a  nation^ 
even  to  that  same  time;  and  at  that  time  thy  people 
shall  be  delivered,  every  one  that  shall  be  found  writ- 
ten  in  the  book.  And  many  of  them  that  sleep  in  the 
dust  of  the  earth  shall  awake,  some  to  everlasting  life, 
and  some  to  shame  and  everlasting  contempt.  Now, 
if  that  great  destruction  of  Jerusalem  produced  such 
great  trouble  as  never  was,  nor  ever  should  be 
again,  how  is  it  that  there  shall  be  such  great 
trouble  as  never  was  since  there  was  a  nation, 
when  Michael  stands  up  to  deliver  the  people, 
every  one  that  is  written  in  the  book,  and  Jerusalem 
is  taken,  and  the  houses  rifled,  and  the  women  rav- 
ished, when  the  Lord  comes  forth  to  fight  against 
those  nations,  and  his  feet  shall  stand  upon  the 
Mount  of  Olives,  according  to  that  text  in  Acts  1 : 
11,  So  shall  he  come  in  like  manner  as  ye  have  seen 
him  go  into  heaven  ;  and  when  the  seventh  angel 
pours  out  his  vial,  (Rev.  16  :  17,  18,)  which  time  I 
conceive  is  one  and  the  same  with  that  in  Zechariah 
and  Daniel — and  the  angel  is  Michael,  the  great 
prince  which  Daniel  speaks  of,  whose  feet  shall 
stand  upon  the  Mount  of  Olives — then  is  the  time  of 
great  trouble,  and  such  an  earthquake  as  was  not 
since  msn  were  upon  the  face  of  the  earth,  so  mighty 
an  earthquake  and  so  great.  So  that  to  me  it  ap- 
pears, that  these  three  Scriptures  do  correspond  with 


3C      THE  SEVENTH  DAY  IS  THE  SABBATH. 

the  woris  of  Christ,  pointing  out  the  same  time*, 
and  if  so,  then  the  Sabbath  shall  remain  till  the 
coming  of  Christ,  and  so  shall  stand  till  heaven  and 
earth  pass  away,  according  to  the  passage  in  Matt. 
5:  18;  and  for  ever  and  ever,  according  to  that  in 
Psalm  111:  8;  and  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem 
seems  to  be  a  type  of  that  great  destruction  that 
shall  be  at  Christ's  appearance.  And,  as  Jerusalem 
was  taken  when  some  from  all  nations  were  gather- 
ed together,  as  history  reports,  and  on  the  Sabbath 
day  it  was  destroyed,  so  it  appears  that  the  strength 
of  the  saints  will  be  gathered  together  at  Jerusalem, 
because  all  nations  will  gather  against  it,  and  Jeru- 
salem's strait  will  be  upon  the  Sabbath  day,  as 
seems  to  appear  by  the  words  of  Christ,  for  then, 
saith  he,  shall  be  great  tribulation,  such  as  never 
was  ;  (then  !  when  1  why,  when  their  flight  shall  be 
upon  the  Sabbath  day;)  and  this  great  tribulation  is 
when  Jerusalem  shall  be  taken,  the  houses  rifled, 
and  the  women  ravished,  as  was  said  before  ;  at 
which  time  Michael  shall  stand  ujp  and  Jight  against 
these  nations,  as  ivhen  he  fought  in  the  day  of  battle  ; 
and  the  slain  of  the  Lord  shall  be  many,  even  from 
one  end,  of  the  earth  to  the  other,  (Jer.  2b  :  31 — 33,) 
and  the  Mount  of  Olives  shall  cleave  in  the  midst 
thereof  and  there  shall  be  a  very  great  valley,  into 
which  the  saints  shall  flee,  (Zech.  14  :  5.)  Then 
shall  the  Sabbath  be  swallowed  up  in  the  great  Sab- 
bath of  a  thousand  years,  that  glorious  and  holy 
rest  which  the  saints  shall  enter  into,  and  live  and 
reign  with  Christ.     Rev.  20  :   4. 

7.  Another  ground  is  taken  from  the  practice  of 
Christ's  disciples  after  his  death,  as  recorded  in 
Luke  23  :  5,  6,  And  they  returned  and  j)rcimred  spices 
and  ointments,  and  rested  the  Sabbath  day  according 
to  the  commandment.  Some  say,  that  if  we  do  observe 
the  Sabbath,  we  must  do  all  those  sacrifices  which 


Tifi:    MiiVENTH    HAY    IS    THE    SABIJATH  37 

the  Jews  did  upon  it.  But  at  this  time  the  veil  of  the 
temple  was  rent  in  twain  from  top  to  hottom,  and 
the  shadows  were  done  away  by  the  body  of  Christ, 
and  yet  they  kept  the  Sabbath,  not  through  fear  or 
ignorance,  but  according  to  the  commandment, 
which  i'S  to  rest  from  their  labors  ;  and  so  they  did, 
for  the  text  saith,  tkei/  returned  and  rested.  There 
is  no  sacrifice  expressed  in  the  commandment.  The 
stranger  and  the  cattle  were  to  rest  on  the  Sahhath. 
Exod.  20  :  10.  So  that  the  Sabbath  was  command- 
ed and  observed  before  any  of  those  eacrifices  were 
commanded  to  be  offered  upon  it.  But  because  the 
Jews  did  such  a  service  upon  the  Sabbath  day,  as 
they  were  a  typical  people,  it  doth  not  follow  that 
this  was  any  part  of  the  commandment ;  and  there- 
fore we  are  to  rest,  as  those  disciples  did,  according 
to  the  commandment.  It  is  remarkable,  that  the 
Holy  Ghost  should  leave  this  thing  upon  record, 
which  would  not  have  been,  I  am  persuaded,  had 
the  Sabbath  then  been  abolished.  He  doth  not 
only  say,  they  returned  and  rested  on  the  Sabbath 
day,  but,  to  prevent  all  mistakes,  lest  it  should  be 
thought  they  did  it  ignorantly  or  superstitiously,  or 
for  fear  of  the  Jews,  he  saith  they  did  it  groundedly, 
that  is,  according  to  the  commandment. 

Ohj.  But  the  disciples  were  met  together  upon 
the  first  day  of  the  week,  and  Christ  appeared  unto 
them.     John  20  ;   9. 

Ans.  It  is  true,  they  were  assembled  together 
upon  the  same  day  at  even,  being  the  first  day  of  the 
week,  with  the  door  shut;  and  the  cause  is  laid 
down  why  they  were  so,  namely,  for  fear  of  the 
Jews.  Some  of  the  disciples,  as  I  said  before,  kept 
the  Sabbath  the  day  before,  and  I  think  we  can  not  rea- 
sonably imagine  but  that  those  did  who  were  together 
on  the  first  day,  for  they  did  fjequently  correspond 
4 


38      THE  SEVENTH  DAY  IS  THE  SABBATH. 

together,  that  is  manifest.  ^  But  what  doth  theii  Do- 
ing together  on  the  first  day  evening,  and  Christ's 
appearing  to  them,  prove  for  the  observation  of  the 
first  day,  more  than  his  appearing  to  them  eight 
days  after,  and  appearing  to  them  the  third  time 
early  in  the  morning  when  they  were  fishing,  (John 
24 :  4,  5,)  for  the  observation  of  those  days  ]  It 
was  necessary  that  Christ  should  appear  to  his  dis- 
ciples on  the  first  day  of  the  week,  that  his  word 
might  be  fulfilled  of  his  rising  the  third  day,  so  that 
they  might  boldly  witness  the  same. 

Ohj.  But  the  disciples  came  together  on  the  first 
day  of  the  week,  and  did  break  bread,  and  Paul 
preached  unto  them.     Acts  20. 

Ans.  This  is  all  the  meeting  or  preaching  that 
ever  we  find  held  upon  the  first  day,  except  the  dis- 
ciples being  together  for  fear  of  the  Jews,  men- 
tioned before,  at  evening.  So  this  seemed  to  be, 
because  when  they  came  together  Paul  preached 
with  them,  continuing  his  speech  until  midnight. 
It  is  not  likely,  then,  that  they  observed  the  day  and 
came  together  in  the  morning,  seeing  he  continued 
his  speech  so  long.  And,  as  we  have  the  cause  of 
the  disciples  being  together  with  their  doors  shut, 
so  we  have  the  cause  of  this  meeting.  Paul  was 
ready  to  depart  on  the  morrow  upon  an  extraor- 
dinary occasion,  and  he  had  many  things  to  commu- 
nicate to  them,  as  ajipears  by  his  discoursing  with 
them  till  midnight,  and  talking  till  break  of  day. 
But  that  which  makes  the  objectors  lay  such  stress 
upon  this  text,  is  because  the  disciples  came  together 
to  break  bread,  which  they  judge  to  be  the  Lord's 
Supper.  Suppose  it  were  so,  what  doth  this  make 
for  the  observation  of  the  first  day,  more  than 
Christ's  first  instituting  the  Supper  upon  the  fifth 
day  of  the  week,  (as  is  generally  conceived,)  doth 


THE  SEVENTH  DAY  IS  THE  SABBATH.      39 

make  for  the  observation  of  it  1  But  we  have  no 
proof  that  this  was  the  Supper  of  the  Lord  that 
they  came  to  partake  of,  but  it  seems  to  be  such 
breaking  of  bread  as  the  margin  of  some  Bibles  re- 
fers to.  Acts  2  :  46.  Thei/  continued  daily  with  one 
accord  in  the  temple,  and  hreaking  bread  from  house 
to  house,  and  did  eat  their  meat  with  gladness  of  heart. 
So  in  Luke  24  :  30,  35.  And  it  is  explained  what 
kind  of  breaking  of  bread  it  was,  where  it  is  said, 
when  he  was  risen  up  again,  and  had  broken  bread 
and  eaten,  and  talked  a  good  while,  till  break  of  day, 
he  departed.  Here  is  eating  and  talking;  it  is  not 
solemnized  as  the  Lord's  Supper.  Some  would 
have  this  common  breaking  of  bread,  and  the  other 
in  verse  7,  to  be  the  Lord's  Supper ;  but  it  is  very 
unlikely  that  there  should  be  two  sorts  of  breaking 
of  bread  at  one  time,  by  the  same  persons,  and 
yet  nothing  spoken  distinctly  by  which  we  might 
know  the  one  from  the  other.  The  most  that  can 
be  said,  is  but  a  supposition ;  it  can  not  be  proved 
that  this  was  the  Lord's  Supper.  How  weak  a 
ground  this  is  for  the  observation  of  this  day  as  a 
Sabbath,  or  more  than  any  other  day,  or  to  limit 
the  administration  of  the  Lord's  Supper  to  this  day, 
I  leave  to  the  truly  wise  in  heart  to  judge. 

Ohj.  But  the  church  had  their  gatherings  upon 
the  first  day  of  the  week,  by  which  it  appears  that 
it  was  the  day  that  they  met  together  upon.  1  Cor. 
16:  2. 

Ans.  The  words  are  these,  TJpon  the  first  day  of 
the  week  let  every  one  of  you  lay  by  him  in  store,  as 
God  hath  prospered  him,  that  there  be  no  gatherings 
when  I  come.  Here  is  no  proof  of  their  meeting 
together,  but  rather  the  contrary,  every  one  was  to 
lay  by  him  in  store  as  God  had  prospered  him ;  no 
public  gathering,  but  private  laying  up.     But  be 


40  THE    SEVENTH    DAY    IS    THE    SABBATH. 

cause  the  Apostle  gaith,  in  the  close  of  the  verse, 
that  there  he  no  gatherings  when  I  come,  therefore  it 
is  thought  the  Scripture  can  not  be  so  understood, 
because  it  w^ould  not  prevent  gatherings.  But  is 
this  fair,  when  a  text  of  Scripture  stands  alone,  to 
put  such  a  sense  upon  it  as  doth  contradict  the  very 
letter  of  it — when  it  saith,  let  every  one  of  you 
lay  by  him  in  store,  then  to  say  the  meaning  is  to 
have  public  gatherings  and  but  one  store  %  And 
would  not  the  end  of  the  Apostle  be  fully  answered, 
namely,  to  have  no  gatherings,  if  each  of  them  did 
lay  by  in  store,  as  God  had  prospered  them  in 
the  world,  ready  against  the  Apostle  came,  they 
knowing  of  his  coming  %  And  when  he  came,  was 
It  not  as  easy  to  carry  it  with  them  to  him,  as  for  us 
to  carry  our  Bibles  to  a  meeting  ;  and  what  need 
would  there  be  then  of  gatherings  %  And  this  way 
of  giving  would  not  be  pharisee-like,  but  according 
to  the  words  of  Christ,  in  Matt.  6  :  1 — 4,  Take  heed 
that  ye  do  not  your  alms  before  men,  to  he  seen  of  them  ; 
otherwise  ye  have  no  reward  of  your  Father  which  is 
in  heaven.  But  when  thou  doest  thine  alms,  let  not  thy 
left  hand  knoiv  ivhat  thy  right  hand  doeth  ;  that  thine 
alms  may  he  in  secret ;  and  thy  Father  which  seeth 
in  secret,  himself  shall  reward  thee  ojpenly. 

Ohj.  But  John  was  in  the  spirit  on  the  Lord's 
day,  (and  had  the  various  revelations  upon  it,)  which 
is  conceived  to  be  the  first  day  of  the  week.  Rev. 
1:   10. 

Ans.  It  is  true,  John  was  in  the  spirit  on  the 
Lord's  day.  But  the  question  will  be,  what  day  that 
was.  If  any  particular  one  of  the  seven,  it  must 
have  been  the  Sabbath,  for  no  other  day  is  so  called 
but  that.  God  calls  it  his  holy  day  in  Isa.  58  :  13  ^ 
and  Christ  saith  he  is  Lord  even  of  the  Sabbath  day. 
And  if  so,  then  it  is  his  day,  for  he  is  Lord  of  it, 


THE  SEVENTH  DAY  IS  THE  SABBATH.      41 

aud  that  by  way  of  eminence  ;  not,  as  some  would 
have  it,  to  show  that  he  is  Lord  of  every  day,  but 
as  it  is  the  Sabbath  ;  for  so  it  is  said  the  vSon  of  Man 
is  Lord  even  of  the  Sabbath  day.  So  that  this  no- 
tion that  the  Lord's  day  is  the  first  day,  is  merely 
taken  up  on  trust  one  from  another,  without  one 
word  of  Scripture  to  prove  it. 

Ohj.  But  it  will  be  yet  objected,  by  those  that  are 
for  no  Sabbath,  in  the  words  of  the  Apostle  in  Col. 
2  :  16,  17,  Let  no  man  therefore  judge  you  in  meat^  or 
in  drink,  or  in  respect  of  an  holy  day,  or  of  the  new- 
moon,  or  of  the  Sahhath-days,  which  are  a  shadow 
of  things  to  come,  hut  the  body  is  of  Christ ;  whence 
it  is  concluded  that  the  Sabbath  was  but  a  shadow, 
and  none  are  to  be  judged  for  not  observing  it. 

Ans.  There  were  holy-days  and  Sabbaths  besides 
the  seventh-day  Sabbath,  or  the  Sabbath  of  the 
Lord  thy  God,  for  so  it  is  called  in  the  command- 
ment, as  doth  appear  in  Lev.  23  :  39.  Now,  be- 
cause it  is  implied  by  the  words  of  the  Apostle,  that 
Sabbaths  were  shadows,  to  be  done  away  by  the 
body  of  Christ,  doth  it  therefore  follow  that  all 
Sabbaths  were  so,  any  more  than  the  words  of  the 
Apostle  that  men  shall  be  saved,  prove  that  all 
men  shall  be  saved  1  And  if  we  consider  the 
verses  before,  it  will  plainly  appear,  that  the  Apos- 
tle was  not  speaking  of  any  of  the  ten  command- 
ments. In  verse  15,  the  Apostle  is  speaking  to  the 
Gentiles,  showing  how  they  were  dead  in  sins,  and  in 
the  uncircumcision  of  their  flesh,  but  are  now  quick- 
ened by  Christ,  and  all  their  trespasses  forgiven 
them.  In  verse  14,  he  shows  what  farther  benefit 
they  had  by  the  death  of  Christ,  Blotting  out  the 
hand-writing  of  ordinances,  which  was  against  us, 
and  contrary  to  us,  he  took  it  out  of  the  way,  nail- 
ing it  to  his  cross ;  and  the  Scripture  on  which  the 


42      THE  SEVENTH  DAY  IS  THE  SABBATH 

objection  is  founded  hath  its  dependence  upon  that 
which  comes  in  with,  Therefore  let  no  man  judge 
you  in  meats,  and  drinks,  &c. ;  as  though  the  Apos- 
tle had  said,  Forasmuch  as  Christ  hath  blotted  out 
and  nailed  to  his  cross  those  ordinances  which  are 
against  the  Gentiles,  you  are  not  to  be  judged  for  the 
non-performance  of  them.  Now  the  ten  command- 
ments were  never  against  the  Gentiles,  nor  contrary 
to  them ;  for  the  same  Apostle  saith  the  matter  of 
them  was  written  in  their  hearts,  as  was  said  before, 
and  they  did  by  nature  the  things  contained  in  them, 
and  therefore  they  were  not  contrary  to  them.  But 
circumcision  and  other  ordinances  stood  as  a  wall 
against  the  Gentiles,  which  Christ  broke  down,  by 
taking  them  out  of  the  way  and  nailing  them  to  the 
cross,  having  abolished  in  his  flesh  the  enmity,  even 
the  law  of  commandments  contained  in  ordinances^ 
for  to  make  in  himself  of  twain  one  new  man,  so  mak- 
ing peace,  that  he  might  reconcile  both  unto  God  in 
one  body  by  the  cross,  having  slain  the  enmity  thereby. 
Eph.  2  :  15.  So  that  it  is  clear,  that  the  Apostle  is 
speaking  of  such  commandments  as  were  contained 
in  ordinances,  and  not  those  commandments  that 
were  eminently  distinguished  from  ordinances ;  but 
those  ordinances  which  were  against  the  Gentiles, 
and  made  them  and  the  Jews  two,  as  did  drinks, 
new-moons,  holy-days,  and  Sabbath-days,  Christ  by 
his  blood  having  taken  these  away,  hath  made 
them  one.  That  the  ten  commandments  should  be 
struck  at,  there  is  no  cover  in  this  Scripture  for, 
or  that  the  Sabbath  should  only  be  taken  from  them 
and  nailed  to  the  cross  with  new-moons,  meats,  and 
other  shadows  and  ordinances  which  were  against 
man.  But  Christ  saith,  The  Sabbath  was  made  for 
man.  So  that  in  this  place  there  is  no  proof  for  the 
abrogation  of  this  command  of  God.  But  for  a 
more  full  answer  see  my  other  book. 


TlIK     S[-Vi:\!'.i     I>.\V     !S      lilK    SAltHATH.  43 

Ohj.  How  is  it  that  the  Apostle  saith,  in  Rom. 
14  :  5,  6,  that  one  man  csfcemeth  one  day  above  an- 
other, another  esteemeth  every  day  alike,  and  yet  he 
does  not  reprove  either  of  them  1 

Ans.  I  make  no  doubt  V)ut  if  the  controversy 
here  alluded  to  had  been  about  the  Sabbath,  whethei 
it  were  to  be  observed  or  not,  it  would  have  been 
plainly  expressed,  and  not  passed  over  so  slightly 
But  the  Apostle  is  speaking  of  indifferent  things^ 
which  men  were  not  to  be  judged  for  their  doing 
or  not  doing,  and  not  of  commandments.  Because 
it  is  said  that  some  esteem  every  day  alike,  there- 
fore some  conclude  that  this  takes  away  the  Sab- 
bath day ;  but  we  must  compare  Scripture  with 
Scripture,  adopt  such  a  sense  as  may  bring  them 
into  harmony,  and  sometimes  explain  general 
terms  by  restrictive  Scriptures.  For  instance, 
Christ  says  to  his  disciples.  Go  2^rc(ich  the  gospel  to 
every  creature;  we  must  understand  it  to  mean  to 
every  creature  that  is  in  a  condition  to  hear  the  gos- 
pel. The  Apostle  saith,  that  every  creature  of  God 
is  good,  and  nothing  to  be  refused.  But  some  are 
poison,  and  are  to  be  refused.  So  is  every  day 
alike,  that  is,  every  working  day,  which  God  hath 
made  alike ;  but  the  seventh  day  he  hath  sanctified 
and  made  a  Sabbath  of  rest,  and  so  not  like  the 
others.  This  interpretation  is  according  to  that 
Scripture  in  Exod.  16  :  4,  Behold,  I  will  rain  bread 
from  heaven  for  you,  and  the  people  shall  go  out  and 
gather  a  certain  rate  every  day ;  and  in  verse  12,  They 
gathered  every  morning  every  man  according  to  his 
eating,  yet  on  the  Sabbath  day  there  was  none  to 
gather.  And  in  our  common  speech  it  is  so ;  we 
call  the  six  days  every  day.  Men  say,  we  work 
every  day,  or  we  travel  so  far  every  day,  when  they 
mean  only  the  six   days  that  they   count  working 


44       THE  SEVENTH  DAY  IS  THE  SABBATH, 

(lays.  So  the  Apostle,  speaking  to  them  that  kept 
the  Sabbath,  speaks  in  the  same  language,  and  we 
iiave  no  ground  to  think  otherwise  ;  for  there  is  no 
Scripture  that  we  find  before  this  that  hath  any 
seeming  dislike  against  the  observation  of  the  Sab- 
bath, but  the  contrary. 

Ohj.  Ye  observe  days,  and  years,  and  times,  and 
months;  I  am  afraid  of  you,  lest  I  have  bestowed 
upon  you  labor  in  vain.     Gal.  4  :   10,  11. 

Ans.  This  cannot  be  understood  that  the  Apostle 
here  strikes  at  t^ie  mere  observation  of  days,  a 
thing  of  such  dangerous  consequence,  for  he  would 
not  have  them  judged  that  observed  one  day  above 
another.  In  Rom.  14:  5,  6,  and  in  this  place,  he 
himself  judges  these  as  persons  that  had  so  far  de- 
generated, that  he  was  afraid  he  had  bestowed  upon 
them  labor  in  vain  ;  but  it  is  manifest  that  these 
Galatians  were  gone  back  to  circumcision,  and  so 
were  debtors  to  the  whole  law,  seeking  justification 
thereby.  Gal.  5  :  2 — 4.  So  they  observed  days 
and  years,  according  to  the  law  that  was  a  shadow 
of  good  things  to  come,  solemnizing  the  days,  and 
months,  and  years,  wdth  those  things  that  were  ap- 
pointed for  them,  as  burnt-offerings,  meat-offerings, 
the  waving  of  the  sheaf,  the  Passover,  and  Feast 
of  Unleavened  Bread,  and  the  like,  as  may  be  seen 
at  large  in  Lev.  23:  8 — 11;  for  they  could  not  be 
said  to  observe  times,  and  months  and  years,  ac- 
cordino:  to  the  law,  except  they  did  such  service. 
And  this  gave  the  Apostle  just  ground  to  fear  that 
he  had  bestowed  on  them  labor  in  vain.  But  to  im- 
agine that  to  observe  the  Sabbath  according  to  the 
commandment,  or  to  observe  a  day  voluntarily  to 
the  Lord,  is  so  dangerous,  is  contrary  both  to  Scrip- 
ture and  reason. 


THE  si:vi:ntii  day  is  the  sabbath.  45 

Ohj.  We  who  believe  are  entered  into  rest, 
of  which  the  Sabbath  was  but  a  type,  as  appeals  by 
the  words  of  the  Apostle  in  Heb.  4  :  3. 

Arts.  If  eternal  rest  by  faith  be  the  antitype  of 
the  Sabbath,  the  Sabbath  ceased  to  be  in  force  to 
every  man  so  soon  as  he  believed ;  which  is  ridic- 
ulous to  think,  and  contrary  to  the  current  of  Scrip- 
ture. But  the  Apostle  saith,  We  who  believe  do 
enter  into  rest  ;  for  he  that  is  entered  into  his  rest  is 
ceased  from  his  own  works,  as  God  did  from  his.  Let 
us  labor  therefore  to  enter  into  that  rest,  lest  any  man 
fall  after  the  example  of  unbelief  Heb.  4  :  10,  11. 
Mind  this  chapter  well,  and  I  am  persuaded  you 
will  see  that  the  drift  of  the  Apostle,  in  mentioning 
the  seventh  day  here,  is  but  to  amplify  and  set  forth 
that  perfect  rest  which  they  that  believe  do  and 
shall  enjoy,  of  which  the  land  of  Canaan  was  but  a 
type;  and  to  show  that  God's  rest  was  before  the 
land  of  Canaan,  and  that  there  yet  remains  a  rest 
to  the  people  of  God.  As  God  did  rest  the  seventh 
day  from  all  his  works,  so  they  that  enter  into  rest 
do  cease  from  their  own  works,  as  God  did  from 
his.  And  this  is  not  as  soon  as  men  believe,  for  the 
Apostle  provokes  himself  and  others  which  were 
believers  to  labor  to  enter  into  it.  And  therefore, 
if  you  will  have  the  Sabbath  a  type  from  this  Scrip- 
ture, though  it  is  nowhere  so  called,  it  must  be  a 
type  of  eternal  rest,  which  saints  do  enter  into  when 
they  cease  from  their  own  works,  as  God  did  from 
his.  And  that  will  not  be  till  they  lay  down  this 
tabernicle,  which  will  not  affect  the  thing  asserted. 
And  indeed  I  cannot  deny  but  the  Sabbath  is  an 
earnest  of  that  rest,  and  saints  that  are  spiritual  in 
the  observation  of  it  find  it  so,  and  of  great  use 
to  put  them  in  mind  of  that  glorious  rest,  as  the  bread 
and  wine  in  the  Lord's  Supper  put  us  in  mind  of  the 


46  THE    SKVENTII    DAY    IS    THE    SABBATH. 

Bufferings  of  Christ ;  so  this  being  a  day  of  rest  and 
delight,  being  striped  of  all  worldly  incumbrances^ 
and  devoted  to  the  Lord,  to  pray  unto  him,  and  to 
praise  his  holy  name,  to  meditate  upon  heaven  and 
heavenly  glory. 

Ohj.  But  many  say,  If  the  Sabbath  be  in  force, 
then  the  penalty  must  needs  be  so,  and  then  those 
that  do  not  keep  it  must  be  stoned ;  therefore  this 
opinion  is  dangerous,  and  will  lead  saints  to  destroy 
one  another. 

.  Arts.  This  is  a  very  showy  objection,  but  indeed 
it  is  a  very  weak  one.  I  do  not  find  that  any  more 
than  one  was  stoned,  and  it  was  for  presumptuous 
breaking  of  the  Sabbath.  But  suppose  that  penalty 
be  in  force  ;  every  saint  is  not  a  magistrate  to  put  it 
in  execution.  If  a  saint  should  kill  a  man,  saints  as 
they  are  saints  are  not  to  execute  him ;  all  that 
they  can  do  is  to  endeavor  his  repentance,  but  it  be- 
longs to  the  true  magistrate  to  inflict  the  punish- 
ment. The  penal  laws  of  God  take  hold  of  pre- 
sumptuous sinners,  not  for  sins  of  ignorance,  and 
therefore  it  is  not  to  be  thought  that  any  punish- 
ment will  be  inflicted  upon  any  for  a  breach  of  the 
Sabbath  till  it  be  universally  acknowledged.  So 
then,  if  God  hath  annexed  the  penalty  of  death  to 
the  breaking  of  it,  doubtless  it  will  be  just.  But 
we  find  in  Nehemiah's  time,  that  although  they  had 
made  a  market-day  of  the  Sabbath,  treading  of 
wine-presses,  lading  of  asses,  and  selling  of  all 
manner  of  provisions  upon  it,  yet  he  doth  but  con- 
tend with  them.  He  contends  with  the  Jews  of  Je- 
rusalem, the  nobles  of  Judah,  and  the  men  of  Tyre,, 
but  inflicts  no  punishment  on  either.  Neh.  13 :  15 
— 17,  21.  But  what  a  strange  thing  is  this,  that  men 
should  count  it  a  dangerous  opinion,  to  hold  that  the 
Sabbath  is  in  force,  because  of  the  penalty  !     Sup- 


THE  SEVENTH  DAY  IS  THE  SABBATH.      4? 

pose  it  be  so  ;  the  same  may  be  said  of  the  rest  of 
the  commandments.  For  instance,  the  first  com- 
mandment is,  Thou  shall  have  no  other  gods  before 
me  ;  he  that  worshiped  a  strange  god  was  to  be  put 
to  death.  Now,  shall  w^e  not  own  this  command- 
ment, because  the  breakers  of  it  were  so  punished  ? 
Again,  He  that  sheddeth  mail's  blood,  by  man  shall 
his  blood  bejhcd.  Now,  is  there  any  danger  in  the 
owning  of  this  commandment.  Thou  shult  do  no 
murder,  because  the  punishment  is  in  force  '?  Again, 
the  fifth  commandment  is.  Honor  thy  father  and  thy 
mother,  but  he  that  cursed  father  or  mother  was  to  be 
put  to  death.  Now,  shall  we  not  honor  father  and 
mother,  and  so  shall  we  break  this  commandment, 
because  this  punishment  belongs  to  the  breakers  of 
it  ?  So  this  objection  is  of  no  weight  or  use  at  all, 
except  it  be  as  a  bear-skin  put  upon  the  truth  to 
frighten  children  away,  lest  they  should  look  into  it. 

Obj.  But  we  do  not  find  any  of  the  apostles  urge 
this  commandment  in  any  of  their  epistles,  namely, 
that  the  Sabbath  day  should  be  observed. 

Ans.  Neither  do  we  find  the  apostles  urging  the 
first,  second,  or  third  commandment  in  particular, 
as  laid  down  in  the  table,  but  they  are  frequently 
urged  in  the  general,  as  in  Rom.  7  :  12,  13  :  S — 10, 
and  generals  comprehend  particulars.  James  saith, 
Wliosoever  shall  keep  the  whole  law,  yet  offend  in  one 
point,  is  guilty  of  all  ;  and  he  proves  it  thus,  Because 
he  that  said.  Do  not  commit  adultery,  said  also.  Do  not 
hill ;  now,  if  thou  commit  no  adultery,  yet  if  thou 
hill,  thou  art  become  a  transgressor  of  the  law.  The 
same  argument  may  be  drawn  from  the  thing  in 
hand.  He  that  saith.  Do  not  commit  adultery,  saith 
also.  Keep  the  Sabbath;  now,  if  thou  commit  no 
adultery,  yet  if  thou  break  the  Sabbath,  thou  art 
become  a  tran^p-ressor  of  the  law.     James  2  :  10,  11. 


48      THE  SEVENTH  DAY  IS  THE  SABBATH. 

And  Paul  salth,  Circumcision  is  nothing,  and  uncir* 
cumcision  is  nothing,  but  the  keeping  of  the  command- 
ments of  God.  1  Cor.  7  :  19.  John  saith,  in  his 
first  epistle,  chapter  5  :  2,  3,  By  this  we  know  that 
we  love  the  children  of  God,  when  we  love  God  and 
keep  his  commandments  ;  for  this  is  the  love  of  God, 
that  we  keep  his  com7nandments,  and  his  command- 
ments are  not  grievous.  And  if  the  apostles  had  not 
spoken  a  word  to  this  commandment,  in  general  or 
in  particular,  it  is  no  ground  for  us  to  lay  it  by,  ex- 
cept the  observation  of  it  w^ere  forbidden,  because 
it  is  so  plainly  commanded  by  God,  explained  by 
Christ,  observed  by  his  disciples,  both  before  and 
after  his  death,  as  was  said  before,  and  will  farther 
appear  by  and  by. 

Ohj.     But  we  do  not  find  that  any  of  the  churches 
kept  the  Sabbath. 

Ans.  Thatisnoproofthattheydid  notkeepit.  But 
it  is  clear  that  the  church  of  Jerusalem  kept  it,  though 
it  is  not  plainly  expressed,  for  they  were  so  zealous 
for  the  very  customs,  that  Paul  is  counseled  to  puri- 
fy himself,  lest  they  should  be  offended  at  him. 
Acts  21  :  21,  24.  Now,  if  they  were  for  the  observ- 
ation of  those  things  that  were  but  shadows,  there 
is  no  doubt  but  they  were  very  strict  for  the  observ- 
ation of  the  Sabbath.  And  there  was  such  oifence 
taken  against  Paul  for  preaching  against  circumci- 
sion and  the  customs,  that  we  need  not  question,  if  the 
Sabbath  had  been  preac^ied  against,  but  we  should 
have  heard  a  great  noise  of  it  in  the  Scriptures,  and 
seen  strong  convincing  reasons  why  it  was  abolished. 
And  it  is  as  clear  that  the  apostles  kept  the  Sabbath 
after  the  resurrection  of  Christ  as  before.  Paul 
went  into  the  synagogue  on  the  Sabbath  day,  and  sat 
down,  and  after  the  reading  of  the  law  preached  the 
and  told,  them  of  the  ignorance  of  those  that 


THE  SEVENTH  DAY  IS  THE  SABBATH.      49 

dwelt  at  Jerusalem  of  the  voice  of  the  prophets 
which  were  read  every  Sabbath  day.  And  the  Gen- 
tiles besought  him  that  these  words  might  be  spoken  to 
them  the  next  Sabbath.  And  the  next  Sabbath  came 
almost  the  whole  city  together  to  hear  the  word  of  God. 
Acts  13  :  14,  15,  42,  44.  So  that  it  is  clear,  that 
the  Sabbath  was  Paul's  resting-day  and  preaching- 
day,  both  to  the  Jews  and  Gentiles,  that  being  the 
day  that  the  Gentiles  used  to  hear;  and  though  they 
had  a  desire  to  hear  the  same  words  again,  yet  it 
must  be  next  Sabbath;  and  Paul  fulfills  their  desire, 
and  preaches  to  them  the  next  Sabbath,  and  almost 
the  whole  city  came  to  hear.  Can  we  think,  if  there 
had  been  no  Sabbath,  that  Paul  would  have  counte- 
nanced them  so  in  their  ignorance  ?  Or,  if  the  first 
day  had  been  a  day  that  was  observed,  would  he 
not  have  told  them  so,  that  they  might  have  heard 
the  word  before  the  next  Sabbath.  And  when 
Paul  came  to  Philippi,  a  Gentile  city,  mind  what  is 
said  in  Acts  16  :  12,  13,  We  ivere  i?i  that  city  abid- 
ing certain  days,  and  on  the  Sabbath  day  we  went  out 
of  the  city  by  a  river  side,  where  prayer  was  wont  to 
be  made,  and  we  sat  down  and  spake  unto  the  women 
that  resorted  thither.  The  seventh  day  hath  its  title 
still,  as  is  said  by  the  Spirit  in  Acts  ;  speaking  of 
certain  days,  this  is  singled  out  and  called  the  Sab- 
bath day,  w^th  an  account  how  they  spent  it,  and 
the  blessing  they  received  upon  it ;  they  resorted  to 
the  place  of  prayer,  and  there  they  preached,  and 
the  Lord  opened  Lydia's  heart  to  attend  to  the 
words  of  Paul.  And  in  Actn  17  :  2,  it  is  said,  That 
Paul,  as  his  manner  was,  went  in  unto  them,  and  three 
Sabbath  days  reasoned  with  them  out  of  the  Scriptures. 
And  when  Paul  came  to  Corinth,  which  was  a  Gen- 
tile city,  and  found  Aquila,  a  Jew,  and  his  wife  Pris- 
cilla,  and  because  they  were  of  the  same  craft,  he 
abode  Avith  them,  and  wrought,  for  by  occupation 
5 


50      THE  SEVENTH  DAY  IS  THE  SABBATH. 

they  were  tent-makers,  lie  reasoned  in  the  synagogue 
every  Sahhath  day,  and  persuaded  the  Jews  and 
Greeks.  Acts  18  :  2 — 4.  So  that  it  is  manifest,  that 
the  Greeks  kept  the  Sabbath  as  well  as  the  Jews^ 
and  that  though  Paul  wrought  at  his  trade  and 
made  tents,  yet  he  rested  every  Sabbath  day ;  and 
as  we  have  an  account  how  he  spent  his  time,  namely, 
in  working  at  his  trade,  so  we  have  an  account 
how  he  spent  his  time  on  the  Sabbath.  Now,  if 
it  be  such  a  strong  argument  for  the  observation 
of  the  first  day,  because  Paul  preached  upon  it 
once;  what  is  this  for  the  obsei'vation  of  the  sev- 
enth day,  that  Paul  did  not  only  preach  constantly 
upon  it,  but  wherever  the  Spirit  speaks  of  it  he 
calls  it  the  Sabbath  day,  without  the  least  hint  that 
he  did  so  out  of  condescension  to  the  weakness  of 
others  %  And  let  it  be  shown  by  the  Scriptures  that 
the  apostles  did  countenance  and  own  any  shadow 
that  was  done  away,  as  they  owned  and  countenanc- 
ed the  keeping  of  the  Sabbath,  and  Ave  may  follow 
the  apostles  as  they  followed  the  Lord  in  this  mat- 
ter, though  we  have  no  express  word  that  the 
churches  kept  it.  And,  indeed,  I  think  I  may  say 
in  this  case,  as  the  Apostle  said  in  another,  that  it 
would  have  been  superfluous  for  the  apostles  to  have 
told  any  people  in  their  time  that  such  and  such  a 
church  kept  the  Sabbath ;  it  being  a  truth  not  so 
much  as  questioned,  that  we  hear  of,  but  Jews  and 
Gentiles  both  observed  it.  But  now  I  cease  an- 
swering objections,  as  I  have  spoken  to  those  that 
are  the  most  material  of  them  that  I  have  heard, 
and  I  shall  proceed  to  another  ground. 

8.  Consider  the  bondage  and  slavery  that  both 
man  and  beast  would  be  in  if  this  doctrine  were 
received  for  truth.  Would  it  not  now,  however 
have  the  tendency  to  bring  the  world  more  to  athe 


THE  SEVENTH  DAY  IS  THE  SABBATH.      51 

ism  ?  Some  men  would  not  allow  themselves  nor 
their  servants  time  to  rest,  or  heai  the  word  of  God, 
if  they  were  persuaded  that  thei'e  was  no  Sabbath ; 
yea,  and  tlie  g-rcater  part  of  saints  are  left  to  the 
mercy  of  merciless  men,  most  of  them  being  child- 
ren, and  wives,  and  servants ;  and  they  cannot  chal- 
lenge a  day  in  seven,  or  a  day  in  seventy,  as  their 
right  to  rest  upon,  and  to  worship  the  Lord  in,  from 
any  commandment  of  God,  if  this  doctrine  be  true, 
that  the  Sabbath  is  abolished.  And  were  this  but 
to  bring  a  yoke  of  bondage  upon  us,  that  neither 
we  nor  our  fathers  were  able  to  bear,  we  should 
not  so  much  as  take  notice  at  this  time  how  it  goes 
in  probability,  for  the  way  of  numbering  is  by  sevens. 
13ut  some  will  say,  It  is  good  to  observe  one  day 
in  seven,  though  it  be  not  a  constant  day.  This  will 
be  confessed,  for  one  to  observe  one  day,  and  an- 
other to  observe  another  day,  while  others  are  for 
a  seventh  day  to  be  constantly  observed.  But  why 
not  the  seventh  day  which  God  hath  commanded, 
for  the  seventh  day  is  the  Sabbath  ?  It  plainly  ap- 
pears, that  there  is  something  of  the  table-law  yet 
upon  the  table  of  the  hearts  of  most  men,  though 
worn  by  much  transgression  ;  for  men  generally 
plead  to  have  one  day  in  seven  to  rest  in,  and  yet 
because  of  custom  they  contend  against  this  holy,  just 
law  of  God,  that  was  made  in  mercy  for  man.  I  am 
persuaded  in  my  very  heart,  and  that  not  without 
good  ground,  that  if  the  seventh  day  had  been  ob- 
served as  the  first  day  is,  no  man  that  owns  the 
Scriptures  would  have  questioned  whether  it  ought 
to  be  observed  or  not,  or  at  least  no  opposition 
would  have  been  made  against  it ;  and  when  all  is 
said,  custom  and  worldly  interest  are  the  two  great 
things  that  stand  in  opposition  to  it. 

9.  And  lastly,  consider  those  great  and  precious 
promises  made  to  them  that  keep  the  Sabbath  ac- 
coiding  to  the  inside  and  spirituality  of  it;  not  tha! 


52  THE  SEVENTH  DAY  IS  THE  SABBATH. 

we  are  so  to  spiritualize  it  as  to  make  void  the  let- 
ter, but  according  to  the  letter,  as  Christ  doth.  For 
instance,  he  saith,  Ye  have  heard  that  it  hath  been  said 
of  old  time,  Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery ;  hut  1 
say  unto  you,  Whosoever  looketh  on  awoman andlusteth 
after  her,  hath  committed  adultery  with  her  in  his 
heart.  Now,  if  it  be  adultery  to  lust,  doubtless  it 
is  to  act,  and  this  is  forbidden  in  the  commandment, 
for  the  commandment  is,  Thou  shalt  not  commit 
adultery ;  but  Christ  unfolds  this  commandment, 
and  gives  such  a  sense  of  it  as  the  scribes  and  phari- 
sees  understood  not.  Again,  the  sixth  command- 
ment is.  Thou  shalt  do  no  murder  ;  and  John  saith, 
Whosoever  hateth  his  brother  is  a  murderer.  John  3  : 
15.  Now,  all  murder  was  forbidden  in  the  com- 
mandment, yet  this  was  not  understood  to  be  mur- 
der; but  John  obeyed  the  spirituality  of  the  com- 
mandment. And  the  same  may  be  said  of  the  fourth 
commandment,  Remember  the  Sabbath  day  to  keep 
it  holy  ;  all  servile  work  is  forbidden  in  it,  and  that 
the  pharisees  understood ;  but  they  did  not  under- 
stand that  works  of  mercy,  as  curing  the  sick,  and 
healing  the  diseased,  might  be  done  upon  it.  Neither 
did  they  understand  that  inward  and  spiritual  rest 
that  was  held  out  in  the  commandment,  as  appears 
by  the  words  of  the  Lord  in  Isa.  58  :  13,  14,  If  thou 
turn  away  thy  foot  from  the  Sabbath,  from  doing  thy 
pleasure  on  my  holy  day,  and  call  the  Sabbath  a 
delight,  the  holy  of  the  Lord,  honorable,  and  shalt 
honor  him,  not  doing  thine  own  ways,  nor  finding 
thine  own  pleasure,  nor  speaking  thine  own  words. 
So  that  the  saints  are  not  only  to  cease  from  out- 
ward work  in  their  callings,  but  also  from  works 
that  are  inward  and  spiritually  wicked,  that  so  the 
Sabbath  may  be  a  delight  unto  them,  the  holy  of 
the  Lord,  honorable.  And  mark  the  promise  that 
is  to  such  Sabbath-keepers,  in  the  fourteenth  verse, 
Then  shalt  thou  delight  thyself  i?i  the  Lord,  and  I 


THE  SEVENTH  DAY  IS  THE  SABBATH.      53 

will  cause  thee  to  ride  upon  the  high  places  of  the  earthy 
and,  will  feed  thee  with  the  heritage  of  Jacob  thy  fa- 
ther; for  the  mouth  of  the  Lord  hath  spoken  it.  First, 
they  shall  delight  themselves  in  the  Lord,  and  that 
will  make  the  Sabbath  a  delight.  Second,  they 
shall  ride  upon  the  high  places  of  the  eauh  •,  the 
high  places  of  the  earth  holding  forth,  as  I  conceive, 
the  great  opposition,  whether  of  great  and  nighty 
men,  or  great  walled  cities,  according  to  that  in 
Deut.  1 :  28,  which  hath  an  allusion  to  Israel  s  subdu- 
ing the  land  of  Canaan.  Deut.  32  :  13.  Thou  shalt 
ride  upon  them,  that  is,  subdue  and  conquer  thera. 
Psalm  45:  4,  QQ:  12.  They  shall  tread  upon  their 
high  places.  Deut.  33  :  39.  They  shall  he  as  ashes 
under  the  soles  of  their  feet.  Mai.  4  :  3.  Now,  when 
did  the  Lord's  people  do  such  work  as  this  since 
this  prophesy  ?  or,  is  it  yet  to  be  fulfilled  ? 

Again,  consider  what  the  Lord  saith  in  Isa.  56  : 
6,  7,  Also  the  sons  of  the  stranger  that  join  themselves 
to  the  Lord,  to  serve  him,  and  to  love  the  name  of  the 
Lord,  to  he  his  servants,  every  one  that  keepeth  the 
Sabbath  from  polluting  it,  and  taketh  hold  of  my  cove- 
nant, even  them  will  I  bring  to  my  holy  mountain,  and 
make  them  joyful  in  my  house  of  prayer  ;  their  burnt 
offerings  and  their  sacrifices  shall  he  accepted  upon 
mine  altar,  for  mine  house  shall  he  called  an  house  of 
prayer  to  all  people.  By  the  sons  of  the  stranger, 
1  understand  is  here  meant  Gentiles,  who  were 
strangers  to  the  commonwealth  of  Israel  and  afar  off, 
but  are  now  made  nigh  by  the  blood  of  Christ,  and 
so  they  join  themselves  to  the  Lord,  and  serve  him, 
and  love  the  name  of  the  Lord  ;  these  are  such  as 
keep  the  Sabbath,  and  take  hold  of  God's  covenant, 
and  it  is  such  a  Sabbath  as  may  be  polluted,  and 
therefore  not  Christ's,  as  some  would  have  it.  Now, 
the  promises  that  are  made  to  these  strangers,  do 
look  at  clear  gospel  times. 

They  shall  be  brought  into  God's  holy  mountain. 


54  THE    SKVENTII    DAY    IS    THE    SABBATH. 

and  there  be  made  joyful,  when  it  is  so  mountain- 
ous that  it  is  the  house  of  prayer  for  all  people,  or 
for    all  nations,   as    Christ  saith  in   Matt.    11  :    17. 
Blessed  is  the  man  that  doeth  this,  and  the  son  of  man 
that  taketh  hold  on  it,  that  keejjcth  the  Sahhath  from 
IwlliLting  it,  and  kecj^eth  his  hand  from  doing  any 
evil.      Thtis  saith  the  Lord  unto  the  eunuchs  that  keep 
my  Sahhath,  and  choose  the  tlmigs  that  please  me,  and 
take  hold  on  my  covenant,  even  unto  them  will  I  give  a 
name  and  a  place  hetter  than  of  so7is  and  daughters  ; 
I  will  give  them  aM  everlasting  name,  that  shall  not  he 
cut  off.     Isa.  ^^  :  2,  4,  5.     The  eunuchs  are  such  as 
care  for  the  things  that  please  the  Lord,  wlien  the 
married  careth  for  the  things  that  please  his  wife. 
Cor.  7  :   32,  33.     And  when  two  parts  shall  be  cut 
off  and  die,  the  eunuchs  that  keep  the  Sabbath  shall 
have  an  everlasting  name,  which  shall  not  be  cut  off. 
Now,  let  us  not  think  it  incredible  that  the  Sab- 
bath should  be  yet  in   force,  because   it  hath  been 
so  long  laid  aside  ;  it  hath  been  so  with  other  truths, 
and  so  with  this,  before  now.     It  seemed  to  be  so 
out  of  knowledge  with  Israel  in  the  wilderness,  that 
when  the  people  had  gathered  twice  as  much  manna 
on  the  sixth  day,  they  did  not  understand  the  mean- 
ing of  it ;  but  the  nobles  came  and  told  Moses,  and 
he  told  them  what  the  Lord  had  said,  that  to-mor- 
row should  be  the  rest  of  the  holy  Sabbath.     And 
also,  after  their  comino;  out  of  Babylon,  when  they 
had  built  the  house  of  God,  and  set  it  in  order,  plac- 
ing the  priests  and  Levites,  and  had  chosen  faithful 
men  to  distribute  the  maintenance  to  their  brethren. 
Nell.  13  :   10,  13.     In  a  word,  their  reformation  was 
much  about  the  light  of  ours,  and  it  is  confessed  by 
the  enlightened  that  it  was  a  type  of  this  reforma- 
tion that  the  Lord  hath  begun  amongst  us  in  these 
isles,  namely,  in  bringing  his  people  out  of  Babylon, 
and  building  up  of  Zion  ;   and,  indeed,  as  their  sins 
and  ours  are  alike  in  many  things,  so  in  this,  namely 


TUB  SEVENTH  DAY  IS  THE  SABBATH.      55 

» 

in  breaking  the  fourth  commandment;  for  Nehe- 
miah  saitb,  in  chap.  13:  15,  that  in  those  days  he 
saw  in  Jiidah  some  treading  wine-presses  on  the 
Sabbath,  and  lading  asses,  and  bringing  in  sheaves, 
as  also  wine,  grapes,  and  figs,  and  all  manner  of  bur- 
dens, which  they  brought  into  Jerusalem  upon  the 
Sabbath  day ;  and  he  testified  against  them  in  the 
day  wherein  they  sold  victuals.  Notwithstanding 
all  the  reformation,  yet  this  was  seen  in  Judah. 
They  had  laid  by  the  observation  of  the  Sabbath, 
and  had  made  it  a  common  working,  market  day,  as 
may  be  seen  at  large  in  that  chapter.  It  was  not  in 
vain,  therefore,  that  the  Lord  said,  Kemcmhcr  thcSah- 
hath,  he  foreseeing  how  it  would  be  slighted  and 
forgotten,  not  only  by  those  that  were  brought  out 
of  literal  Babylon,  but  also  by  those  that  should  be 
brought  out  of  spiritual  Babylon  in  the  latter  days ; 
and  when  the  day  of  the  Lord  burns  as  an  oven,  it 
will  be  remembered  to  some  purpose.  Mai.  4  :  4. 
In  the  mean  time,  the  Lord  is  stirring  up  some  of  his 
poor  babes  and  sucklings.  Such  he  is  pleasjed  usu- 
ally to  discover  truth  unto  at  the  first  breaking  out 
of  it,  and  they  are  to  contend  for  it,  though  in  much 
weakness. 

But  a  word  to  the  beginning  and  ending  of  the 
Sabbath.  There  arc  various  apprehensions  about 
it,  which,  for  brevity's  sake,  I  shall  omit.  The 
Scripture  is  plain,  that  from  evening  to  evening  is 
the  set  time,  or  from  the  going  down  of  the  sun  to 
the  going  down  of  the  sun.  This  is  clear  from  the 
beginning,  according  to  Gen.  1  :  5,  The  evening  and 
the  mor7iing  was  the  first  day.  The  evening  and 
morning  make  a  complete  natural  day,  and  the  eve- 
ning goeth  before  the  morning,  because  the  dark- 
ness was  before  the  light. 

Ohj.  But  some  will  say,  It  is  not  said  the  evening 
and  the  morning  was  the  seventh  day. 


56  THE  SEVENTH  DAY  IS  THE  SABBATH. 

* 

Ans.  If  the  evening  and  the  morning  be  the 
sixth  day,  the  evening  and  the  morning  must  needs 
be  the  seventh  day,  unless  w^e  should  think  that  the 
seventh  day  hath  no  night  belonging  to  it.  Some 
think  that  the  reason  why  no  mention  is  made  of  the 
evening  of  the  seventh  day,  is,  because  the  Sabbath 
is  a  day  pf  joy  and  delight,  or  an  earnest  of  the 
new  Jerusalem  state,  wherein  shall  be  no  night. 
Rev.  21  :  25.  Night  doth  frequently,  in  the  Scrip- 
ture, hold  forth  a  state  of  affliction,  but  the  Sabbath 
is  a  holy,  sanctified  time;  on  it  the  Creator  rested 
and  was  refreshed,  and  commanded  the  observation 
of  it  that  his  creatures  might  be  refreshed. 

Nehemiah's  practice  is  sufficient  proof  for  the  be- 
ginning of  the  Sabbath  at  evening,  (chap.  13  :  19,) 
who,  when  the  gates  of  Jerusalem  began  to  be 
dark,  commanded  them  to  be  shut  till  after  the  Sab- 
bath. And  if  you  would  know  when  the  evening 
begins,  the  evangelist  Mark  doth  infoiTn  you  in 
chapter  1  :  32,  At  even,  when  the  sun  did  set,  they 
brought  unto  him  all  that  were  diseased.  When  the 
sun  doth  set,  then  begins  the  evening,  then  begins 
the  holy  rest  or  seventh-day  Sabbath.  So  the 
disciples  of  Christ  began  the  Sabbath  ;  and  so  the 
Lord's  ancient  people  celebrate  the  Sabbath  unto 
tliis  day. 

But  what  confusion  are  they  in  who  say  the  Sab- 
bath was  changed  from  the  seventh  day  to  the  first 
day,  and  yet  observe  neither,  but  part  of  the  first 
day  and  part  of  the  second  day ;  for  they  begin 
their  Sabbath  at  midnight,  when  a  good  part  of  the 
first  day  is  spent,  and  they  end  at  midnight,  when  a 
good  part  of  the  second  day  is  spent ;  and  yet  they 
will  have  this  to  be  a  Sabbath,  yea,  and  a  first  day 
Sabbath,  and  will  highly  charge  a  man  to  be  an  of- 
fender if  he  work  one  hour  upon  the  first  day, 
though  themselves  work  five  ;  and  thus  we  see  how 
anti-Christ  hath  chansred  times  as  well  as  laws ;  a 


THE  SEVENTH  DAY  IS  THE  SABBATH.      57 

first-day  Sabbath  instead  of  a  seventh-day  Sabbath  j 
instead  of  from  even  to  even,  from  midnight  to  mid- 
night, when  most  are  fast  asleep,  being  insensible 
of  the  beginning  of  their  Sabbath,  or  the  ending 
of  it. 

But,  blessed  be  the  Lord,  that  he  hath  revealed 
this  his  ancient,  useful,  and  honorable  truth,  to  wit, 
the  holy  seventh-day  Sabbath,  notwithstanding  all 
the  inventions  of  anti-Christ  to  bury  it  in  oblivion, 
and  that  he  is  pleased  to  separate  a  remnant,  that 
are  resolved  to  search  and  try  their  ways,  and  to 
turn  unto  him,  to  follow  him  in  the  ways  of  his  pre- 
cepts, (notwithstanding  the  dragon's  wrath,)  who 
will  not  take  things  upon  trust,  nor  go  upon  the  legs 
of  men,  but  will  try  all  things,  and  hold  fast  that 
which  is  good,  for  they  are  virgins,  and  they  will 
follow  the  Lamb,  though  their  company  be  small 
and  their  charge  great.  They  will  not  be  afraid  of 
the  Sabbath  because  it  was  given  to  the  Jews,  any 
more  than  they  are  afraid  of  the  adoption,  and  the 
glory,  and  the  promises,  and  the  other  nine  lively 
oracles,  which  were  all  given  to  the  Jews.  Rom. 
9  :  4.  And  this  I  may  modestly  say,  to  the  praise 
of  the  Lord  of  the  Sabbath,  and  without  boasting, 
that  if  the  saints  did  know  how  the  Lord  delights 
to  meet  with  his  people  in  this  way  of  obedience 
in  celebrating  the  Sabbath,  they  would  soon  call  the 
Sabbath  a  delight,  the  holy  of  the  Lord,  honorable, 
and  honor  him  by  ceasing  from  their  own  works,  as 
God  did  from  his,  and  doing  those  works  which  are 
suitable  for  the  blessed  season.  But  I  shall  say  no 
more  at  present,  save  only  this,  that  whoever  they 
are  that  would  follow  the  Lord  in  this  appointment 
of  his,  they  must  labor  much  in  the  strength  of  his 
Spirit  to  get  this  world  under  them,  for  it  stands  in 
direct  opposition  to  earthly  men,  and  earthly  prin- 
ciples ;  therefore  pray  with  the  Psalmist,  Incline 
my  heart  unto  thy  testimonies,  and  not  to  covetousness. 


VINDICATION 


OF 


THE    TRUE    SABBATH. 

IN   TWO   PARTS; 

PART    FIRST, 

Narrative  of  Recent  Events; 

PART  3KCOND, 

Divine  Appointment  of  the  Seventh  Day. 


By  J.  W.  MORTON, 

MISSIONARY  OF  TJIE  REFORMED  PRESBYTERIAN  CHUCCB. 


NEW- YORK : 
PUBLISHED  FOR  THE  AUTHOR, 

AT  THE  SABBATH  RECORDER  OFFICE, 

No.  9  Spruce  Street. 


PART    I. 

NARRATIVE  OF  RECENT  EVENTS 


CHAPTER     I. 

On  the  13th  of  December,  1847,  I  landed  with 
my  family  in  Port-au-Prince,  Haiti,  the  first  Foreign 
Missionary  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church 
in  the  United  States.  I  began  my  labors  soon  af- 
terwards, and  continued  them,  without  serious  in- 
terruption, till  the  21st  of  April,  1849,  when  a  train 
of  circumstances,  to  which  I  am  about  to  advert, 
made  it  necessary  that  I  should  return  home. 

In  the  latter  part  of  December,  1848,  I  was  un- 
expectedly called  upon  to  defend  the  practice  of 
keeping  holy  the  first  day  of  the  week,  in  place  of 
the  seventh.  I  had  been  taught  from  my  infancy, 
that  the  moral  law,  "  summarily  comprehended  in 
the  teA  commandments,"  is  the  only  rule  of  moral 
conduct;  and  I  had  supposed,  that  it  required  me 
and  everybody  else  to  keep  the  "  Christian  Sab- 
bath" on  the  first  day  of  the  week.  On  examina- 
tion, however,  I  was  forced  to  the  conclusion,  that 
the  fourth  commandment  enjoins  nothing  else  than 
the  sanctification  of  the  seventh  day.  Of  course, 
then,  I  must  either  renounce  this  precept,  as  a  part 
of  the  rule  of  my  life,  or  endeavor  to  keep  holy  the 
seventh  day  of  the  week.  The  former  I  might  not 
dare  to  do  ;  the  latter  I  knew  I  might  attempt,  with- 
out offending  God,  or  insulting  the  majesty  of  his 
law. 

The  question  then  came  up.  Is  there  any  scrip- 


4  VINDICATION    OP    THE    TRUE    SABBATH. 

ture  authority  for  keeping  holy  the  first  day  1  Does 
God  require  it  1  I  knew  very  well,  that  if  God 
does  ?wt  require  it,  I  could  not,  as  a  Reformed 
Presbyterian,  bind  my  conscience  to  it.  I  took  up 
the  Bible,  resolved  on  a  prayerful  and  thorough 
search.  I  wished  to  assure  myself  of  the  divine  au- 
thority of  the  first  day,  even  after  I  was  satisfied 
that  the  claims  of  the  seventh  are  indisputable.  But 
how  was  it  possible  to  gain  this  object  1  Every 
text  to  which  I  was  referred  for  proof  seemed  to 
lack  the  very  thing  that  I  most  wanted,  a  certain 
testimojiy  to  the  institution  of  a  Christian  Sahbath. 
I  reasoned  thus: — The  fact  that  Christ  appeared 
once  or  twice  to  his  disciples  on  the  first  day  of  the 
week,  and  the  fact  that  the  disciples  met  once  on 
that  day  to  break  bread,  and  the  fact  that  Paul  com- 
manded the  Corinthians  and  Galatians  to  '  lay  by 
them  in  store '  on  that  day,  as  God  had  prospered 
them — these  facts,  with  a  few  others,  anight  shed 
light  on  the  institution,  if  one  single  text  could  be 
found,  to  prove  its  existence.  But  if  this  can  not  be 
found,  they  do  not  touch  the  question  at  issue.  And 
how  I  did  long  for  that  one  text  !  How  I  chided 
with  the  Apostles  for  not  having  made  knowa  more 
clearly  what  I  had  determined  to  be  the  will  of 
Gnd!  Never  did  Rachel  mourn  for  her  children, 
as  I  mourned  for  that  one  text :  but,  like  her,  1 
could  not  be  comforted,  because  it  was  not! 

I  was  thus  driven  to  the  conclusion,  that,  should 
I  make  conscience  of  keeping  holy  the  first  day  of 
the  week,  I  would  offer  to  God  a  service  that  he 
did  not  require,  and  could  not  accept  at  ray  hands. 

But  what  was  I  to  do  %  This  was  the  great  prac- 
tical question.  Could  I,  with  my  then  present  views, 
continue  to  preach  the  gospel,  as  I  had  done  before, 
in  that  '*  land  of  darkness,  and  of  tlie  shadow  of 
death  ?  "     Could  I  teach  the  children  in  the  school, 


NARRATIVE  OF  RECENT  EVENTS.         5 

as  I  had  taught  them  before,  that  God  had  changed 
the  Sabbath  to  the  first  day  of  the  week  1  Could  1 
proclaim  to  the  benighted  heathen,  that  they  might 
habitually  break  the  fourth  commandment  with  im- 
punity ?  Could  I,  as  a  Protestant  missionary,  be- 
come the  partizan  of  him  who  thought  "  to  change 
times  and  laws,"  *  by  assuring  his  blinded  devotees, 
that  his  changes  had  been  made  by  divine  authori- 
ty 1  Or,  on  the  other  hand,  could  I  carry  out  my 
convictions  of  truth  and  duty,  declaring  the  whole 
counsel  of  God,  as  I  then  understood  it,  and  retain, 
at  the  same  time,  my  connection  with  my  brethren 
at  home  1  Would  they  grant  me  this  privilege,  and, 
if  they  would,  could  I  accept  it  ] 

A  little  reflection  served  to  convince  me,  that  all 
these  questions  must  be  answered  in  the  negative. 
It  was  no  small  matter,  to  resolve  upon  breaking 
those  bonds  of  ecclesiastical  fellowship  that  had  so 
sweetly  bound  me  to  the  Reformed  Presbyterian 
Church.  A  struggle,  painful  indeed,  but  not  pro- 
tracted, ensued.  I  resolved  at  once  to  keep  the 
Sabbath  in  my  family,  though  I  feared  it  would  not 
be  honest  to  make  Q.ny  public  exhibition  of  my  views, 
while  I  continued  to  minister  by  the  authority  of  the 
Synod.  I  know  not  what  I  should  have  done,  had 
not  my  change  of  sentiments  brought  with  it  the 
needed  consolations.  Whatever  were  the  "  vexing 
thoughts"  with  which  my  heart  was  oppressed,  dur- 
ing the  first  six  days  of  the  week,  I  found  invaria- 
bly, in  the  quiet  retreat  of  my  little  family,  on  the 
seventh,  that  "  peace  of  God  that  passeth  all  under- 
standing." Yes,  Haiti,  when  the  recollection  of  thy 
brilliant  skies,  thy  evergreen   mountains,  and  thy 

*  T  believe,  that  the  prophecy  in  Dan.  7  :  25,  refers  mainly  to 
the  change  of  Sabbath-time,  and  Sabbath-law.  What  time,  of 
divine  appointment,  it  may  be  asked,  was  ever  changed,  ex 
cept  the  time  of  the  Sabbath  ? 


6  VINDICATION    OF    THE    IRUE    SABBATH. 

sweet  clear  rivers,  shall  have  ceased  to  awaken  joy 
in  my  bosom,  the  memory  of  thy  Sabbaths  shall  be 
"  my  songs  in  the  house  of  my  pilgrimage  !  " 


CHAPTER    II. 

Convinced  as  I  was,  that  something  must  be  done 
immediately  to  bring  the  subject  of  my  change  to 
the  attention  of  the  rulers  of  our  church,  before  the 
next  meeting  of  Synod,  I  prepared  the  following 
Circular  Letter,  which  I  transmitted  to  more  than 
seventy  ministers  and  elders,  in  different  parts  of  the 
United  States. 

CIRCULAR. 

Port-au-Prince,  Ha'iti,  Jan.  17,  1849. 
Mt  Dear  Brother, — The  mutual  relation  existing  between 
us,  as  members  of  the  same  Synod,  the  glory  of  our  common 
Lord,  the  interests  of  our  Mission,  and  a  sacred  regard  for 
personal  character,  all  require,  that  the  following  statement 
be  transmitted  to  you  and  my  other  co-presbyters,  with  as 
little  delay  as  possible.  If  I  am  not  actuated  herein  by  a  de- 
sire to  promote  God's  glory  and  the  salvation  of  men,  may  the 
Lord  rebuke  and  forgive  me,  and  "  let  the  righteous  smite  me, 
it  shall  be  a  kindness!  "  May  the  Head  of  the  Church  grant 
to  you,  and  to  all  the  other  members  of  Synod,  a  disposi- 
tion to  hear,  with  patience  and  candor,  a  narration  of  my  re- 
cent experience,  in  which  perhaps  you  may  find  things  both 
"  new  and  old." 

My  sentiments  in  relation  to  the  "  Sabbath  of  the  Lord  our 
God,"  have  undergone  an  important  change;  to  which  I  now 
wish  to  call  your  attention.  Our  Confession  of  Faith,  Cate- 
chisms, and  Testimony,  all  teach  that  the  first  day  of  the  week 
is.  and  has  been  ever  since  the  resurrection  of  Christ,  the 
Christian  Sabbath.  This  doctrine  alone,  of  all  those  contain- 
ed in  our  Standards,  though  I  did  believe  it  till  lately,  I  can 
no  longer  receive.     As  to  the  manner  of  sanctifying  the  Sab- 


NARRATIVE  OF  RECENT  EVENTS.  7 

bath,  I  believe  all  that  you  and  I  have  always  contended  for; 
but.  for  the  present,  I  am  constrained  to  believe,  that  the 
seventh  day  of  the  week  is  the  only  weekly  Sabbath  that  God 
has  ever  appointed. 

My  attention  was  first  called  to  this  subject  by  Rev.  W.  M. 
Jones,  Missionary  of  the  Baptist  Church,  who  has  recently 
abandoned  his  earlier  views  and  practice  in  regard  to  the  Sab- 
bath, lie  not  only  argued  the  question  with  me  at  length, 
but  gave  me  some  publications  of  the  American  Sabbath  Tract 
Society,  which,  as  they  seemed  to  breathe  a  spirit  of  ardent 
piety  and  zeal  for  God's  law,  I  read  with  attention.  Both  in 
my  discussion  with  him,  and  in  the  reading  of  those  tracts,  I 
struggled  with  all  my  might  to  convince  myself,  from  the 
Scriptures,  of  the  divine  appointment  of  the  first-day,  or 
Christian  Sabbath.  But  though  I  did  not  then  doubt  it,  I  was 
astonished  to  find  how  hard  it  is  to  prove  it. 

I  sear-'hed  all  the  books  I  could  find,  bearing  on  this  ques- 
tion, and  discovered,  what  I  had  never  noticed  before,  that 
the  early  French  and  Genevan  Reformers,  with  Calvin  at  their 
head,  had  taught  the  abrogation  of  the  fourth  commandment, 
as  a  ceremonial  institution ;  and  that  they  contended  for  a 
Sabbath,  or  stated  day  of  worship,  under  the  gospel,  only  as 
a  wise  and  necessary  human  arrangement.  I  found  that  even 
Turretin,  at  a  later  period,  had  taught  that  the  fourth  com- 
mandment is  partly  ceremonial,  and  that  it  was  necessary  to 
change  the  Sabbath  from  the  seventh  day.  in  order  to  put  a 
difference  between  Jews  and  Christians.  I  found  also,  in  my 
books,  quotations,  containing  similar  sentiments,  from  the  cel- 
ebrated Augsburg  Confession.  The  only  authors  I  could  find 
who  had  attempted  to  prove,  from  the  Scriptures,  that  the 
Sabbath  has  been  changed  from  the  seventh  to  the  first  day 
of  the  week,  by  divine  authority,  were,  Turretin,  and  the 
framers  of  our  Standards.  These  authors  appeared  to  depend 
mainly  for  proof  upon  three  texts  of  Scripture  : — Acts  20  :  7  ; 
1  Cor.  16:  1,  2;  and  Rev.  1:  10.  When  I  came  to  examine 
these  texts,  I  was  surprised  and  mortified,  to  find  that  they 
contain  neither  the  word  "  Sabbath,"  nor  any  other  synony- 
mous with  it.  True,  I  had  always  thought  that  the  "  Lord's 
day,"  Rev.  1:  10,  was  the  first  day  of  the  week;  but  my  op- 
ponents contended  that  the  terms  refer  more  properly  to  the 
seventh,  which  God  styles  "  my  holy  day,"  Is.  58  :  13  ;  and 
when  I  remembered  •'  his  challenging  a  special  propriety  in 
the  seventh,"  I  could  not  well  deny  it.  Moreover,  [  could 
not  find  a  single  passage  asserting  that  the  first  is  holier  than 
any  other  day  of  the  week,  or  that  Christians  were,  in  the 
Apostles'  days,  in  the  habit  of  holding  religious  meetings  regif 


VINDICATION    OF    THE     IKUE    SABBATH. 


larly  on  tlial  day.  Neither  could  I  discover  that  Christ  or  his 
Apostles  had  ever  s[)()k(Mi,  directly  or  indirectly,  of  keeping  a 
day  holy  in  honor  of  his  resurrection  ;  nor  that  that  event, 
which  is  always  held  u()  as  the  occasion  of  the  ch;)nge  of  the 
Sabhath,  is  even  once  jueiitioned  in  connection  with  the  first 
day,  unless  where  it  is  recorded  as  a  historical  fact.  On  the 
other  hand,  I  observed  that  Christ  and  his  Apostles  were  oc- 
customed  to  enter  into  ihe  synagogue  on  the  seventh  day,  or 
Sabbath,  for  public  worship.  Luke  4 :  16 ;  Acts  17  :  2,  and 
elsewhere. 

'J'hus,  my  dear  brother,  I  saw  at  this  critical  moment  all 
Scripture  evidence  forsaking  me,  while  every  inch  of  ground 
on  which  I  could  set  my  foot  was  trembling.  It  seemed  as 
if  the  thunders  of  Sinai  were  uttering  anew  their  awful  threat 
enings,  while  the  "  still  small  voice"  of  "  Him  that  dwelt  in 
the  bush"  was  whispt'rin^  in  my  ears,  ^' The  seventh  di\y  is 
the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord  thy  God."  Ex.  20  :  10.  "I  am  Je- 
hovah, I  change  not."  Mai.  3:6.  "  Verily,  I  say  unto  you, 
till  heaven  and  earth  pass,  one  jot  or  one  tittle  shall  in  no  wise 
pass  from  the  law,  till  all  be  fulfilled."  Matt.  5 :  18.  Still  I 
hesitated.  For  a  moment  I  thought  of  '•  going  down  to  Egypt 
for  help."  The  Fathers,  thought  I,  have  fixed  theinterpretation 
of  these  texts  in  favor  of  the  observance  of  the  first  day.  But 
immediately  I  heard  a  voice  within  me,  saying,  "  Would  you 
then  observe  a  holy-day,  whose  appointment  cannot  be  prov- 
ed from  the  Bible,  without  th(>  aid  of  human  tradition  ?  Could 
you  admit  the  'testimimy  of  the  Fathers,'  to  set  aside  one  of  the 
plainest  injunctions  of  the  moral  law,  that  law  that  was  writ- 
ten upon  tables  of  stone,  '  by  the  finger  of  God,'  and  styled, 
by  way  of  preeminence,  '  tke  Testimony  ?  '  "  No  !  I  replied, 
with  an  involuntary  shudder;  and  another  flood  of  Scriptures 
came  rushing  in,  like  '•  deep  waters,"  to  the  very  soul.  "  The 
law  of  the  Lord  is  perfect."  I's.  19:  7.  "Forever.  O  Lord, 
thy  word  is  settled  in  heaven."  Ps.  119:  89.  "  Thy  right- 
eousness  is  an  everlasting  righteousness,  and  thy  law  is  the 
truth."  Ps.  119:  142.  "All  his  commandments  are  sure; 
they  stand  fast  forever  and  ever,  and  are  done  in  truth  and 
uprightness."  Ps.  11 J  :  7,  8.  "  Think  not  that  I  am  come  to 
destroy  the  lavy  or  the  prophets;  I  am  not  come  to  destroy, 
but  to  fulfill."  Matt.  ,5:  17.  "Do  we  then  make  void  the 
law  through  faith?  God  forbid;  yea,  we  establish  the  law.' 
Rom.  :i :  3 1.  O  my  brother,  "  the  word  of  God  is  quick  ard 
powerful,  and  sharper  than  any  two-edged  sword." 

You  have  now  my  reasons  for  embracing  a  doctrine  which 
is  confessedly  at  variance  with  our  Standards.  What  I  en- 
treat of  you  is,  chat  you  will  once  more  examine  this  subject 


NARRATIVE  OF  RECENT  EVENTS.  9 

for  yourself,  and  see  whether* those  Standards  are  consistent, 
on  this  po'nt,  either  with  the  Scriptures,  or  with  themselves. 

You  perhaps  think  that  I  have  forsaken  the  "  footsteps  of 
the  Hock,"  and  tliat  testimony  which  has  been  sealed  with 
the  blood  of  martyrs.  But  tell  me  candidly,  was  there  ever 
a  martyr  who  died  in  defense  of  the  first-day  Sabbath  ?  Or, 
could  you,  my  brother,  collect  from  the  Scriptures  evidence 
of  its  divine  appointment,  clear  enough  to  solace  your  soul  in 
the  midst  of  the  flames?  From  my  inmost  soul  I  pity  that 
Covenanter  who  may  be  called  to  testify,  at  the  stake,  to  the 
change  of  the  Sabbath  from  the  seventh  to  the  first  day  of 
the  week.  Remember,  too.  that  I  am  now  in  the  path  that 
was  trodden  by  the  saints  for  more  than  four  thousand  years; 
and  it  is  for  you  to  sliow  that  that  patli  was  ever  stopped  up, 
unless  by  the  presumption  and  inexcusable  neglect  of  man. 
Truly,  I  am  "  compassed  about  by  a  great  cloud  of  witnesses." 
I  would  follow  the  example  of  Jehov'ah  himself,  who  "  blessed 
the  seventh  day  and  sanctified  it."  and  by  whom  "  the  Sab- 
bath was  made  for  man  ;"  the  example  of  Adam,  Enoch,  and 
Noah  ;  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  Jacob,  and  the  twelve  patriarchs; 
of  INIoses,  Aaron,  and  those  millions  of  Pilgrim  Covenautei'S 
who  united  in  its  observance  in  the  wildei'uess ;  the  example 
of  Samuel,  David,  and  a  host  of  other  prophets ;  of  .Tesus 
Christ,  our  Divine  Mediator,  and  '  Lord  of  the  Sabbath;"  and 
of  the  Apostles  of  our  Lord,  together  with  the  churches  es- 
tablished, and  watered  by  them  ; — in  one  word,  the  example 
of  all  the  saints,  from  Adam  to  the  last  Apostle  ;  all  of  whom 
kept  and  honored  the  seventh  day  as  "  the  Sabbath  of  the 
Lord  their  God,"  and,  having  finished  their  coarse  with  joy, 
are  entered  into  that  heavenly  rest,  of  which  that  Sabbath  was, 
and  still  is,  an  emblem. 

I  intend,  if  the  Lord  will,  to  be  present  at  the  next  meet- 
ing of  our  Synod,  and  meet  my  brethren  face  to  foce.  I  ex- 
pect, of  course,  nothing  less  than  to  be  excluded  from  the 
privileges  of  the  church  ;  but  I  rejoice  that  I  have  learned  to 
respect  the  discipline  of  the  Lord's  house.  I  desire,  therefore, 
with  a  willing  heart  to  approach  the  altar,  and,  if  the  Head 
of  the  Church  require  it,  to  be  "  otFeredupon  the  sacrifice  and 
service  of  your  faith,"  that  God  may  be  glorified  in  my  salva- 
tion, and  not  in  my  destruction.  God  forbid,  that  either  pre- 
judice, willful  ignorance,  passion,  or  personal  resentment, 
should  fan  the  flames  of  that  altar ! 

In  conclusion,  rest  assured  of  my  continued  and  unabated 
attachment  to  the  cause  of  the  Reformation,  in  general,  and 
to  the  interests  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church,  in  par- 
ticular ;  and  allow  me  to  repeat  what  I  have  already  intimat- 


10  VINDICATION    OF    THE    TRUE    SABBATH. 

ed,  that  with  every  other  doctrine  contaiued  in  our  Standards 
lam,  so  far  as  I  understand  my  profession,  entirely  satisfied ; 
nor  have  i  abandoned  tluR  one,  but  from  a  firm  conviction  that 
it  is  not  taught  in  God's  Word.  I  know  well,  that  trials  sore 
and  many  await  me.  God  doth  know,  that  my  heart  de- 
lighteth  not  in  contention  ;  but,  my  brother,  have  we  not  all 
'•entered  into  a  curse,  and  into  an  oath,  to  walk  in  God's  law, 
which  was  given  by  Moses,  the  servant  of  God,  and  to  ob- 
serve and  do  all  the  commandments  of  the  Lord  our  God?  " 
Neh.     10:  29.  Your  Brother  in  Gospel  bonds, 

J.  W.  Morton, 
Missionary  of  the  Ref.  Presb.  Church 


CHAPTER     III. 

On  the  21st  of  April,  1849,  I  set  sail,  with  my 
family,  from  Port-au-Prince,  bidding  farewell  to 
Haiti  and  her  children,  whom  perhaps  we  shall 
never  see  again  in  this  vale  of  tears.  We  arrived 
at  Boston,  all  in  good  health,  on  the  first  Sabbath 
in  May. 

On  the  evening  of  Tuesday,  May  22,  the  Synod 
was  convened  in  Philadelphia ;  and  the  next  morn- 
ing I  appeared  and  took  my  seat  with  the  other 
membei^. 

After  noon,  the  same  day.  Rev.  David  Scott 
stated  to  Synod,  that  I  had  made  known  a  change 
of  views  in  relation  to  the  Sabbath,  and  moved  that 
a  committee  of  three  be  appointed  to  confer  with 
me,  and  report  what  farther  action  should  be  taken 
in  the  case. 

While  this  motion  was  pending,  I  stated,  in  sub- 
stance, that,  as  I  was  alone  in  a  Synod  of  more  than 
sixty  members,  without  a  single  man  to  plead  my 
cause,  I  thought  I  had  a  riarht  to  demand  that  the 


NARRATIVE  OF  RECENT  EVENTS.         11 

proceedings  should  be  instituted  in  strict  accord- 
ance with  the  letter  of  the  law.  I  was  here  inter- 
rupted by  the  Moderator,  who,  having  informed 
me  that  I  had  no  right  to  dictate  to  the  Court  the 
method  of  proceeding  with  its  own  business,  peremp- 
torily ordered  me  to  take  my  seat.  I  obeyed,  of 
course,  though  I  could  not  see  what  dictation  there 
was  in  demnnding  a  legal  trial,  according  to  the 
printed  rules  of  Synod.  The  motion  was  carried, 
and  the  committee  appointed. 

Next  morning,  May  24,  I  had  a  conference  of 
half  an  hour  with  this  committee,  and  at  noon  an- 
other, that  lasted  about  the  same  time.  Their  prin- 
cipal object  seemed  to  be,  to  ascertain  whether  I 
was  ready  to  recant,  and  submit  to  censure  for  my 
past  errors.  I  assured  them,  that  while  I  had  not 
the  slightest  wish  to  withdraw  from  the  communion 
of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church,  I  adhered 
to  every  word  in  my  Circular,  and  rpust  continue  to 
do  so,  till  convinced  of  error  by  the  infallible  scrip- 
tures. The  committee  quoted  several  texts,  and 
advised  me  to  read  several  authors,  after  which  our 
conference  was  closed. 

After  noon  they  presented  their  report,  recom- 
mending that  the  following  Libel  be  pi-eferred 
against  me  by  Synod  : — 


LIBEL  PREFERRED  AGAINST  J.  W.  MORTON. 

Whereas,  denying  that  the  first  day  of  the  week  is  the  day 
on  which  the  Christian  Sabbath  should  be  kept,  is  a  heinous 
sin  and  scandal,  contrary  to  the  Word  of  God,  and  the  Profes- 
sion of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church,  founded  thereon 
— {Acti  20:  7,  "  And  upon  the  first  day  of  the  week,  when  the 
disciples  came  together  to  break  bread,"  &c. ;  Shorter  Cate- 
chism, "  From  the  beginning  of  the  world  to  the  resurrection 
of  Christ,  God  appointed  the  seventh  day  of  the  week  to  be 
the  weekly  Sabbath,  and  the  first  day  of  the  week  ever  since 


12  VINDICATION    OF    THE    TRUE    SABBATH. 

to  continue  to  the  end  of  the  workl.  which  is  tin*  Christian 
Sabbath." 

Yet  true  it  is,  that  you,  Rev.  .T.  W.  Mor'on.  are  guilty  of  the 
scandal  above  stated,  in  so  far  as  you,  the  said  .) .  VV  Moitoii, 
at  Poi-t-au  Prince,  Haiti,  17th  of  .January.  1849,  did  pnbli.-h  a 
Circidiij-,  in  which  you  oppugned  and  denied  that  tlie  first  day 
of  the  week  is  the  Christian  Sabbath,  which  being  fonnil  rele- 
vant, and  proved  against  you,  you  ought  to  be  proceeded 
against  by  the  censures  of  the  Lord's  House. 

A  true  copy.  By  order  of  the  Synod. 

[Signed]  Joh.v  Wallacii;,  Ass't  Clerk. 


Atter  some  discussion,  tlie  above  Libel  was  de- 
cided to  be  relevant,  and  the  Clerk  was  directed  to 
serve  a  copy  on  me,  with  citation  to  apjjear  for  trial 
the  next  day,  after  noon. 

I  went  to  my  lodgings  that  evening  with  a  heavy- 
heart.  I  was  convinced,  from  the  spirit  of  deter- 
mined opposition  that  had  been  manife.sted  by  many 
of  the  brethren,  when  the  Libel  was  under  consid- 
eration, that  the  majority  had  already  determined 
that  I  should  not  be  permitted  to  "  speak  for  my- 
self" True,  I  knew  very  well  that  the  Apostle 
Paul  had  once  enjoyed  this  liberty,  through  the 
cool  civility  of  a  Roman  Governor,  and  afterwards, 
through  that  of  a  Roman  King  ;  but  I  knew  just  as 
well,  that  Felix  and  Aggrippa  were  heathens,  while 
my'brethren  are  Christians  ;  and  that  the  dignity  of 
a  court,  composed  of  "  worms  of  the  dust,"  has  been 
much  better  understood,  since  the  famous  "  Diet  of 
Worms,"  than  ever  before. 

Still,  I  could  not  forbear  asking  myself.  Why  is 
there  now  such  bitter  opposition  to  an  Listitution 
that  was  once  the  delight  of  both  God  and  man? 
Why  do  men  hate  with  such  perfect  hatred  what 
Jehovah  made,  and  blessed,  and  sanctified,  before 


NARRATIVE  OP  RECENT  EVENTS.         13 

sin  had  entered  into  the  world  ?  Why  should  this 
daughter  of  Innocence  be  spurned  from  every  door, 
and  loaded  with  the  damning-  reproach  of  Judaism, 
while  her  twin  sister,  Marriage,  sucks  the  breasts, 
and  is  dandled  upon  the  knees  of  Orthodoxy  1  Why 
should  I  be  ranked  with  thieves  and  murderers,  for 
believing  that  "  the  seventh  day  is  the  Sabbath  ot 
the  Lord  my  GodV  Bitter  were  the  tears  that 
flowed  ;  and  more  bitter  still  was  the  reflection,  that 
"  when  I  wept,  that  was  to  my  reproach." 

I  was  hedged  in  round  about,  and  what  could  I 
do  ?  I  could  only  exclaim,  with  the  "  sweet  Singer 
of  Israel,"  "  Let  not  them  that  wait  on  thee,  O  Lord 
Grod  of  Hosts,  be  ashamed  for  my  sake  ;  let  not 
those  that  seek  thee  be  confounded  for  mysake,  O 
God  of  Israel.  Because  for  thy  sake  I  have  borne 
reproach ;  shame  hath  covered  my  face.  I  am  be- 
come a  stranger  unto  my  brethren,  and  an  alien 
unto  my  mother's  children.  For  the  zeal  of  thy 
house  hath  eaten  me  up ;  and  the  reproaches  of  them 
that  reproached  thee  are  fallen  upon  me."  Never 
shall  I  forget  the  sensation  experienced  while  the 
last  sentence  was  passing  through  my  mind  :  '-And 
the  reproaches  of  them  that  reproached  thee  are  fallen 
upon  mey  I  know  not  how  often,  during  that  night, 
I  repeated  these  words,  and  comjjared  them  with 
the  exhortation  of  the  Apostle  :  "Let  us  go  forth 
therefore  unto  him  without  the  camp,  bearing  his 
I'eproach."  These  were  the  comforts,  that,  "  in  the 
multitude  of  my  thoughts' within  me,"  then  delight- 
ed my  soul.  I  was  about  to  go  forth  *'  without  the 
camp ;"  and  it  was  indeed  refreshing,  in  that  hour 
of  trial,  to  believe,  that  I  was  bearing  a  portion  of 
the  same  burden  that  had  on(;e  bowed  down  the 
*  Man  of  Sorrows." 


2 


14  VINDICATION    OF    THE    TRUE    SABBATH. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

My  trial  came  on  after  noon,  May  25th.  The 
following  extract  from  the  published  Minutes  of 
Synod  is,  I  believe,  a  correct,  and  sufficiently  full, 
account  of  the  final  issue  ;  only  it  makes  no  mention 
of  the  fact  that  I  protested  against  the  proceedings, 
and  appealed  to  the  head  of  the  Church,  for  reasons 
to  be  given  in  afterwards.  Why  this  fact  was  not 
recorded,  I  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain. 


EXTRACT    FRaM    MINUTES    OF    SYNOD. 

Order  of  tine  day,  viz.,  the  case  of  Mr.  Morton,  called  for. 
The  libel  was  then  read  by  the  Clerk ;  when  Mr.  Morton  hav- 
ing, in  reply  to  the  Moderator,  answei-ed  that  he  was  prepared 
for  trial,  the  substance  of  the  libel  was  again  stated  in  his 
hearing.  Mr.  Morton  was  then  called  upon,  according  to  the 
rule  provided  for  in  such  cases,  either  to  confess  the  charge  or 
put  himself  upon  his  trial.  Mr.  Morton  in  return  acknowl- 
edged that  he  had  denied  that  the  day  commonly  called  the 
Christian  Sabbath  is  so  by  Divine  appointment,  and  then  pro- 
ceeded to  plead  the  in-elevancy  of  the  charge  by  endeavoring^ 
to  prove  the  perpetuity  of  the  law  for  the  observance  of  the 
eevenlh  day.  While  so  doing,  he  was  arrested  by  the  Mode- 
rator, who  informed  him  that  the  charge  contained  in  the  libel 
was  such  that  Mr.  Morton  could  only  prove  its  irrelevancy  to 
censure  by  proving  that  the  appropriation  of  the  first  day  of 
the  week,  known  as  the  Christian  Sabbath,  to  secular  employ- 
ments, or  teaching  so  to  do,  is  not  relevant  to  censure,  which 
attempt  the  Moderator  would  consider  disorderly,  and  would 
not  allow. 

From  this  decision  J.  M.  Willson  appealed,  when  the  Mod- 
erator's decision  was  unanimously  sustained.  Upon  this  Mr. 
Morton  declined  the  authority  of  the  court. 

Resolved,  That  Mr.  Morton's  appointment  as  missionary  to 
Haiti  be  revoked. 

Resolved,  That  inasmuch  as  Mr.  Morton  has  now  publicly 
declined  the  authority  of  this  court,  he  be  suspended  from  the 


NARRATIVE  OF  RECENT  EVENTS.         16 

exercise  of  the  Christian  ministry,  and  from  the  privileges  of 
the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Cliurch. 

The  Moderator  then  publicly  pronounced  the  sentence  of 
suspension  on  Mr.  Morton,  agreeably  to  the  above  resolution 

Not  long  afterwards  I  presented  to  the  Modera- 
tor the  following  Reasons  of  Protest  and  Appeal, 
with  a  request  that  he  would  allow  them  to  be  laid 
before  the  court,  which  he  utterly  refused  to  do. 


REASONS    OF    PROTEST    AND    APPEAL. 

I  do  respectfully  protest  against  the  action  of  Synod  in  my 
case,  on  the  24th  of  the  present  month,  and  appeal  therefrom 
to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  King  and  Head  of  the  Church, 
for  the  following  reasons  : — 

1st.  Because  I  was  not  allowed  to  prove  the  irrelevancy  of 
the  charge  made  against  me,  by  an  appeal  to  the  Bible,  '*  the 
only  rule  of  faith  and  manners.  " 

2nd.  Because  I  believe  that  the  statements,  on  the  subject 
of  the  Sabbath,  set  forth  in  our  subordinate  standards,  are  in- 
consistent with  one  another,  and  in  part  contrary  to  the  Word 
of  God  :  yet  it  was  by  these  unscriptural  portions,  that  I  was 
tried  and  condemned. 

Brethren,  I  entertain  no  hard  feelings  towards  you.  My 
daily  prayer  to  God  is,  that  you  may  be  saved,  and  led  into 
all  truth.  I  did  hope  that  you  would  hear  and  consider  the 
claims  of  the  Lord  's  holy  Sabbath,  when  presented  in  a  mild 
and  affectionate  manner.  But  either  I  have  failed  to  present 
the  question  with  sufficient  tenderness,  or  you  have  determin- 
ed to  avoid  all  discussion  in  regard  to  it. 

It  grieves  me  to  the  soul  to  bid  you  farewell.  Both  God 
and  man  will  bear  witness,  in  the  day  of  final  reckoning,  that 
you  have  trampled  down,  by  the  resistless  force  of  an  over- 
whelming majority,  one  who  was  endeavoring  with  both 
hands  to  hold  up  the  standard  of  the  great  Covenant  God  of 
our  fathers.  But  though  for  the  present  cast  down,  I  am  not 
dismayed.  The  Sabbath  of  the  Lord  God  is  a  richer  treasure 
than  the  richest  you  can  either  give  or  take  away.  "  Rejoice 
not  against  me,  O  mine  enemy  ;  when  I  fall,  I  shall  arise  ; 
when  I  sit  in  darkness,  the  Lord  will  be  a  light  unto  me.  I 
will  bear  the  indignation  of  the  Lord,  because  I  have  sinned 
against  him,  until  he  plead  my  cause,  and  execute  judgment 


16  VINDICATION    OF    THE    TRUE    SABUATH. 

for  me  ;  he  will  bring  me  forth  to  the  light,  and  I  shall  behold 
his  righteoiisiiess." 

Bretlireii.  I  shall  meet  you  before  the  judgment  seat  of 
Christ,  on  that  day  when  he  shall  come  "  with  ten  thousand 
of  liis  saiuts."  '"Behold,  he  cometh  with  clouds  ;  and  every 
eye  shall  see  him,  and  they  also  which  pierced  him;  and  all 
kindreds  of  the  earth  shall  wail  because  of  him.  Even  so, 
amen. " 

J.  W.  Morton 

Philadklphia,  May  2.9th,  1B49. 

REFLECTIONS. 

I  did  believe,  and  believe  yet,  that,  had  I  been 
sustained  by  twenty  ministers  and  as  many  congre- 
gations, I  should  have  had  leave  to  defend  myself 
to  my  heart's  content.  But  it  was  very  evident  to 
the  Synod,  that  I  stood  alone.  They  knew  that  I 
could  do  them  no  harm,  by  fomenting  discord  ;  and 
— may  1  not- add? — they  knew  that  I  was  not  the 
man  to  be  found  employed  in  such  a  work.  The 
only  loss  they  could  sustain,  in  catting  me  oft",  with 
all  my  adherents,  was  that  of  two  adults  and  as 
many  little  children.  Indeed,  many  of  the  members 
seemed  to  regret  the  tronhlc  far  more  than  the  neces- 
sity of  executing  the  law  ;  and  one  aged  father  has 
remarked  to  me  since,  that  till  then  he  never  wit- 
nessed a  trial,  before  a  church  court,  in  which  there 
was  not  one  atom  of  mercy. 

Now,  is  there  not  a  reason  for  all  this  %  Unques- 
tionably there  is.  The  loose  and  unpresbyterial 
doctrine,  that  a  majority  has  a  right  to  determine 
what  is,  and  what  is  not  truth,  and  that  the  greatei 
the  majority  in  f^xvor  of  any  dogma,  the  more  firmly 
its  truth  is  established,  has  leavened,  sadly  and  ex- 
tensively, even  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church. 
This  is  the  reason  why  one  who  represents  a  lean 
minority  cannot  be  heard,  even  in  defense  of  eccle 
siastical  life.  The  majority  have  said,  that  the  first 
day  is  the  Sabbath,  and  who  dare  call  in   question 


NARRATIVE  OF  RECENT  EVENTS.         1? 

the  assertion  1  A  man  may  be  denounced  as  a  cov- 
cnaiit-hrcaker;  yet,  because  he  belongs  to  a  small 
minority,  lie  may  not  attempt  to  jjrove  his  innocence 
of  tlie  Clime.  Thus  tlie  right  of  tlie  minority  to 
vindicate  themselves  from  the  Scrijjtures,  in  defense 
of  which  many  of  the  old  Covenanters  bled,  is  prac- 
tically denied  by  their  descendants.  "  O  Lord, 
hov/  long  !  " 

Brethren,  are  you  really  so  wedded  to  this  ma- 
joritij  jyr'niciplc  ?  Know,  then,  that  God  is  a  major- 
ity  ;  and  that  those  that  are  with  7ne  are  more  than 
those  that  are  with  you.  God's  testimony  is  worth 
mere  than  that  of  all  men.  What  though  millions 
have  affirmed,  that  the  seventh  day  is  not  the  Sab- 
bath ?  He  hath  left  us  this  imperishable  testimony  : 
"  The  seventh  day  is  the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord  thy 
God."  And  this  is  the  testimony  of  the  greatest 
majority  that  ever  gave  utterance  to  truth.  But 
God  hath  not  left  himself  without  other  witnesses. 
Where  are  those  myriads  of  angels  who  were  pre- 
sent when  "  the  Sabbath  was  made  for  man  ?  " 
Where  are  those  "  morning  stars  "  who  "  sang  to- 
gether," and  those  "  sons  of  God  "  who  "  shouted 
for  joy,"  when  our  Father  "laid  the  foundations  of 
the  earth  It  "  They  are  not  now  present  with  us, 
't  is  true,  to  bear  their  testimony  ;  but  they  will  be 
present,  when  you  and  I  shall  appear  before  the 
iudg-ment  seat  of  Christ,  to  hear  the  decision  of  this 

JO  .  ■  . 

controversy.  And  do  you  think  that  you  will  then 
dare,  on  the  authority  of  what  is  said  in  Acts  20  :  7, 
to  lift  up  your  hands,  and  swear  "  by  Him  that  liveth 
forever  and  ever,"  that  the  Sabbath  has  been 
"changed  into  the. first  day  of  the  week" — and 
that,  too,  in  presence  of  those  who  saw  the  founda- 
tions of  the  ancient  Sabbath,  like  those  of  the  earth 
itself,  laid  and  balanced  upon  God's  eternal  decree, 
and  inwrought  with  the  very  stones  of  "  the   ever- 


18  VINDICATION    OF    THE    TRUE    SABBATH. 

lasting  hills  V  No  !  No  ! !  The  Sabbath  was  one 
of  those  pillars  of  the  ancient  earth,  which  Christ, 
the  Mediator,  seized  with  the  hand  of  his  omnipo- 
tence, and  bare  u}^,  when  "  the  earth  and  all  its  in- 
habitants "  were  sinking  into  nothing.  I  repeat  it 
— and  who  dare  gainsay  it  1 — the  Lord  of  Hosts  is 
an  overwhelming  majority  ! 

But  this  is  not  all.  There  is,  indeed,  no  greater 
witness  than  these ;  but  there  is  other  witness.  Look 
into  your  own  hearts,  ye  children  of  God,  redeemed 
by  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  and  you  will  find  record- 
ed there :  "  The  seventh  day  is  the  Sabbath  of  the 
Lord  thy  God ;  in  it  thou  shalt  not  do  any  work." 
"  For  this  is  the  covenant  that  I  will  make  with  the 
house  of  Israel,  after  those  days,  saith  the  Lord  ;  I 
will  put  my  laws  into  their  mind,  and  write  them  in 
their  hearts."  Here  there  is  not  the  least  hint  of 
any  exception.  The  same  moral  law  that  was  writ- 
ten "  with  the  finger  of  God,"  on  tables  of  stone,  is 
now  written  "by  the  Spirit  of  the  living  God,"  on 
the  fleshly  tables  of  your  hearts.  Yes,  brethren, 
turn  your  eyes  inward,  and  you  will  read,  "  The 
seventh  day  is  the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord  thy  God;  in 
it  thou  shalt  not  do  any  work."  If  you  say.  We 
have  sought  this  law,  but  find  it  not — O  brethren, 
you  have  not  *'  sought  it  carefully  with  tears."  It 
is  hidden  among  the  rubbish,  and  you  will  never 
find  it,  till  that  be  removed.  But  I  speak  what  I  do 
know,  when  I  assure  you,  that  it  is  recorded  there  ; 
and  in  the  day  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  if  not  sooner,  you 
will  find  it  there,  to  your  unspeakable  joy  and  satis- 
faction. O  Lord,  "  open  thou  our  eyes,  that  we 
may  behold  wondrous  things  out  of  thy  law." 


PART   IL 
DIVINE  APPOINTMENT  OF  THE  SEVENTH  DA^ 


INTRODUC  TION. 

The  following  pages,  containing  a  brief  discussion 
of  a  small  but  intensely  interesting  portion  of  the 
Sabbath  controversy,  are  designed  especially  for  the 
perusal  of  those  Christians,  styled  orthodox,  who  do 
not  keep  holy  the  seventh  day  of  the  week. 

Dear  brethren,  this  is  a  subject  of  fearful  impor- 
tance. If  tlie  views  herein  advocated  are  correct, 
you  are  guilty  both  of  breaking  and  of  teaching  men 
to  break  one  of  God  's  holy  commandments  ;  if  they 
are  incorrect,  I  am  no  less*  guilty.  Need  1  say  any 
thing  more  to  convince  you  that  you  ought  to  give 
this  subject  a  candid  and  prayerful  examination] 
"  Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world  ;"  take  heed,  breth- 
ren, that  your  light  be  not  darkness  !  You  know — 
you  cannot  but  know — that  there  is  much,  very  much, 
said  in  the  Bible  about  the  Sabbath,  and  that  men 
are  very  often  commanded  to  keep  it  holy.  You 
must  know,  also,  that  God  has  said  in  the  fourth  com- 
mandment, "The  seventh  day  is  the  Sabbath  of  the 
Lord  thy  God  ;  in  it  thou  shalt  not  do  any  work  ;  " 
and  that,  for  more  than  four  thousand  years,  no  oth- 
er day  of  the  week  ever  claimed  to  be  holy.  More- 
over, you  cannot  but  know,  if  you  have  read  the  Bi- 
ble carefully,  that  the  first  day  of  the  week,  which 
you  call  "  the  Christian  Sabbath,"  is  very  seldom 
mentioned  ;  that  there  are  only  six  passages  in  which 


20  VINDICATION    OF    THE    TRUE    SABBATH. 

the  name  occurs,  and  that  four  of  these  may  be  view- 
ed as  one,  being  the  records  of  the  same  events, 
by  different  Evangelists ;  and  how  can  you  have 
failed  to  notice  the  fact,  that  in  not  one  of  these 
six  passages  are  we,  or  any  of  our  fellow-creatures, 
commanded  to  keep  the  first  day  holy  ]  Yet  you 
are  convinced  that  the  first  day  of  the  week  is  the 
very  Sahhath-day,  while  among  all  those  Scripture 
commands,  before  referred  to,  you  find  nothing 
to  sustain  the  claims  of  the  seventh,  O  brethren, 
you  "  put  darkness  for  light,  and  light  for  darkness." 
Let  us  bow  before  the  mercy-seat  of  Him  who  is 
the  Author  of  life  and  light,  and,  renewing  our  per- 
sonal covenant  with  him,  plead  his  precious  promise  ; 
"  If  ye  continue  in  my  word,  then  are  ye  my  disci- 
ples indeed  ;  and  ye  shall  know  the  truth,  and  the 
truth  shall  make  you  free." 

I  shall  endeavor,  in  the  following  pages,  to  estab- 
lish the  truth  of  the  following  proposition  : — 

That  the  seventh  day  of  the  week  is  the  only  week- 
ly ISahbath  of  God's  apiwintmcnt. 

1  intend  to  present  and  enforce  four  reasons  for 
believing  this  proposition  : — 

First — Because  the  original  Sabbath  law  requires 
the  sanctification  of  no  other  day. 

Second — Because  Adam  and  all  his  posterity  have 
solemnly  covenanted  to  keep  holy  the  seventh  day. 

Third — Because  Christ  and  his  Apostles  honored 
this  day;  and  did  not  intimate  that  it  would  ever 
cease  to  be  tlie  Sabbath,  but  the  contrary. 

Fourth — Because  God  has  never  blessed  and  sanc- 
tified any  day  of  the  week  but  the  seventh. 

As  the  discussion  is  limited  bv  design  to   a  nar- 


FIRST    REASON.  21 

row  range,  you  will  please  to  bear  in  mind,  that  the 
following  points  are  assumed  as  true  : — 

First — The  Sabbath  was  instituted  before  the  fall 
of  man. 

Second — Adam  represented  all  his  posterity  in  the 
covenant  of  works. 

Third — The  Sabbath  law  is  perpetual,  "  binding 
all  men  in  all  ages." 

Fourth — The  seventh  day  v/as  the  only  weekly 
Sabbath  for  at  least  four  thousand  years. 

Lord,  sanctify  us  by  thy  truth.  May  the  Holy 
Ghost,  the  Comforter,  whom  thou  sendest  in  the 
name  of  thy  Son  our  Lord,  abide  in  us  and  preside 
in  this  controversy.  May  he  teach  us  all  things,  and 
bring  all  things  to  our  remembrance.  May  all  bit- 
terness, and  wrath,  and  malice,  and  evil-speaking, 
be  far  fi-om  us  ;  and  may  we  love  one  another 
with  pure  hearts  fervently — for  Christ's  sake.  Amen. 


CHAPTER     1. 


PROPOSITION. 


That  the  seventh  day  of  the  week  is  the  only 
weekly  sabbath  of  God's  appointment. 

First  Reason. 

My  first  reason  for  believing  this  proposition  is. 
That  the  original  Sabbath  law,  referred  to  in  Gene- 
sis 2  :  2,  3,  and  embodied  in  Exodus  20  :  8 — 11,  re- 
quires the  sanctification  of  no  other  day. 

Genesis  2 :  2,  3. — '•  And  on  the  seventh  day  {on  day  the 
seventh)  God  ended  his  work  which  he  had  made ;  and  he 
rested  on  the  seventh  day  {on  day  the  seventh)  from  all  his 


22  VINDICATION    or    THE    TRUE    SAHBATH. 

work  which  he  had  made.  And  God  blessed  the  seventh  dat 
{the  day  the  seventh,)  and  sanctified  it :  because  that  in  it  he 
had  rested  from  all  his  work  which  God  created  and  made." 

Exodus  20:  8,  11. — "  Remember  the  Sabbath-DAY,  {the  day 
of  the  rest,  or  Sxbbath,)  to  keep  it  holy.  Six  days  shalt  thou 
labor,  and  do  all  thy  work ;  but  the  seventh  day  {day  the 
seventh)  is  the  Sabbath  {rest)  of  the  Lord  thy  God :  in  it  thou 
shalt  not  do  any  manner  of  work,  thou,  nor  thy  son,  nor  thy 
daughter,  thy  man-servant,  nor  thy  maid-servant,  nor  thy  cat- 
tle, nor  thy  stranger  that  is  within  thy  gates  :  for  in  six  days 
the  Lord  made  heaven  and  earth,  the  sea,  and  all  that  in  them 
is,  and  rested  the  seventh  day  {on  day  the  seventh  ;)  wherefore 
the  Lord  blessed  the  Sabbath-DAY  {the  day  of  the  rest,  or  Sab- 
bath,) and  hallowed  it." 

The  only  object,  direct  or  indirect,  of  this  com- 
mandment, is  "  the  day."  What  are  we  command- 
ed to  remember  ?  "  The  day."  What  are  we  re- 
quired to  keep  holy  ?  "  The  day."  What  did  the 
Lord  bless  and  hallow  ]  "  The  day."  In  what  are 
we  forbidden  to  work  1  In  "  the  day."  Now  let  us 
inquire — 

1.  What  day]  Not  the  day  of  Adam's  fall ;  nor 
the  day  Noah  went  into  the  ark  ;  nor  the  day  of  the 
overthrow  of  Sodom  ;  nor  the  day  of  the  Exodus  ; 
nor  the  day  of  the  Provocation;  nor  the  day  of  the 
removal  of  the  ark  ;  nor  the  day  of  Christ's  birth  ; 
nor  the  day  of  his  crucifixion  ;  nor  the  day  of  his 
resurrection  ;  nor  the  day  of  his  ascension  ;  nor  the 
day  of  judgment.  It  may  be,  and  certainly  is,  pro- 
per, that  we  should  remember  all  these ;  but  we 
are  not  told  to  do  so  in  this  commandment.  Neither 
is  it  some  one  day  of  the  week,  but  no  one  in  par- 
ticular;  for  how  could  we  remember  "  the  day,"  that 
is  no  day  in  particular  ? — how  could  we  keep  holy 
"  the  day"  that  has  not  been  specified  1 — and  how 
could  we  say  that  God  had  blessed  and  hallowed 
"  the  day,"  that  was  no  one  day  more  than  another  1 
What  day,  then  ?  Grod  says,  Remember  the  Sab- 
bath-day, or  the  day  of  the  Sabbath  ;   K  eep  holy  the 


FIRST    REASON.  23 

daydftheSahhath;T\ie  Lord  blessed  and  hallowed  Mc 
day  of  the  Sabbath.  He  also  says,  The  seventh  day 
is  the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord  thy  God  ;  in  it  thou  shalt 
not  do  any  work.  This  day,  therefore,  is  **  the 
seventh  day,"  or  "  the  day  of  the  Sabbath." 

2.  What  Sabbath  1  Not  "  a  Sabbath,"  or  any 
Sabbath  that  man  may  invent,  or  that  God  may 
hereafter  keep  ;  for  that  would  be  "  some  Sabbath," 
but  no  one  in  particular.  Not  some  institution  yet 
undetermined,  that  God  may  j-equiro  man  to  ob- 
serve weekly ;  for  the  command  is  not,  "  Remem- 
ber the  Sabbath  institution,"  but,  "Remember  the 
day  of  the  Sabbath  ;"  not,  **  Keep  holy  the  Sabbath 
institution,"  but,  "  Keep  holy  the  day  of  the  Sab- 
bath." The  Lord  did  not  bless  and  hallow  "  the 
Sabbath  institution,"  but  "  the  day  of  the  Sabbath." 
We  are  not  forbidden  to  do  work  in  "  the  Sabbath 
institution,"  but  in  "  the  seventh  day^  In  fact,  the 
phrase  *'  the  Sabbath,"  in  this  commandment,  means 
neither  more  nor  less  than  "  the  rest."  It  is  not  here 
the  name  of  any  institution  at  all,  though  it  is  often 
thus  used  in  other  parts  of  the  Bible.  Hence,  this 
Sabbath  is  "  the  Sabbath  or  rest  of  the  Lord  thy 
God." 

3.  Which  day  of  the  week  is  "the  day  of  the  Sab- 
bath ?"  No  other  than  that  day  on  which  the  Lord 
rested  ;  for  the  command  refers  to  God's  Sabbath. 
On  which  day  of  the  week  did  he  I'est  ]  "  And  he 
rested  on  the  seventh  day."  Genesis  2  :  2.  There- 
fore, *'  the  day  of  the  Sabbath"  is  the  same  day  of 
the  week  on  which  God  rested  from  the  work  of 
creation  ;  and  as  he  rested  on  the  seventh  day  of 
the  first  week,  and  on  no  other,  the  seventh  and  no 
other  day  of  every  other  week  must  be  the  only  "  day 
of  the  Sabbath." 

Let  it  be  particularly  observed,  that  God  does  not 
say,  Remember  the  Sabbath,  or,  Remember  the  Sab 


24  VINDICATION    OF    THE    TRUE    SABBATH. 

batic  institution,  though  this  is  necessarily  implied 
in  the  command  ;  but,  Remember  '*  the  day  of  the 
Sabbatli" — the  day  on  which  I  have  ordained  that 
the  Sabbatic  institution  be  observed.  As  if  he  had 
said,  There  is  little  danger,  comparatively,  that  you 
will  forget  the  fact  of  my  having  kept  Sabbath ;  noi 
is  it  likely  that  you  will  altogether  neglect  to  ob- 
serve some  day  of  rest  from  your  arduous  toils,  for 
you  will  be  driven  to  this  by  the  ever  returning  de- 
mands of  your  exhausted  bodies  ;  but  you  are,  and 
always  will  be,  in  especial  danger  of  forgetting  the 
proper  day  of  the  week  for  honoring  me  in  my  own 
institution.  Satan,  who  takes  infinite  delight  in  all 
kinds  of  "  will-worship,"  while  he  hates  with  a  per- 
fect hatred  every  act  of  strict  obedience  to  my  law, 
will  do  all  he  can  to  persuade  you  that  some  other 
day  will  do  just  as  well,  or  even  better.  Remem- 
ber, therefore,  the  day  of  my  Sabbath,  and  keep  the 
same  day  holy  in  every  week  ;  for — mark  the  rea- 
son— I  have  myself  rested  on  the  seventh  day,  and 
on  that  account  I  have  blessed  and  sanctified  that 
and  no  other  day  of  the  week,  that  you  may  observe 
it,  and  keep  it  holy,  not  because  it  is  in  itself  better 
than  any  other  day,  but  because  I  have  blessed  and 
sanctified  it. 

But  you  say  that  the  phrase,  "  the  Sabbath-day," 
or  "  the  day  of  the  Sabbath,"  does  not  mean  any 
particular  day,  but  "  one  day  in  seven,"  or  some  one 
of  the  days  of  the  week.  You  alledge  that  "  the  day 
of  the  Sabbath,"  like  "  the  Pope  of  Rome,"  "  the 
Emperor  of  Russia,"  or  "  the  King  of  .Denmark," 
is  a  generic  term,  alike  applicable  to  all  the  mem 
bers  of  the  same  class.  The  phrase,  "  the  Emperoi 
of  Russia,"  you  say,  refers  alike  to  Peter,  to  Alex 
ander,  and  to  Nicholas,  though  only  one  of  them 
could  be  Emperor  at  any  given  time  ;  so  "  the  day 
of  the  Sabbath"  refers  alike  to  the  seventh    and  lo 


FIRST    REASON.  25 

the  first  clay  of  the  week,  though  there  never  was 
but  one  Sabbath  at  any  one  time.  This  is  a  very 
ingenious  and  plausible  method  of  evading  the  force 
of  the  Divine  testimony  ;  but,  as  the  reasoning  by 
which  it  is  sustained  appears  to  be  entirely  sophis- 
tical, I  cannot  but  look  upon  the  whole  thing  as  a  fab- 
rication. I  believe  that  any  man,  possessing  the  re- 
quisite qualifications,  mai/  become  "  Emperor  oi 
Russia,"  but  deny  that  any  day  but  one  can  be  the 
day  of  God's  Sabbath,  inasmuch  as  God  had  never 
kept,  at  that  time,  but  one  Sabbath,  and  that  occu- 
pied only  one  day.  There  is  only  one  day  of  Ame- 
rican Independence  ;  only  one  day  of  the  Resur- 
rection of  Christ  ;  only  one  day  of  the  birth  of  any 
one  man  ;  and  only  one  day  of  Judgment.  And 
why  ]  Because  American  Independence  was  de- 
clared on  but  one  day  ;  Christ  rose  on  but  one  day; 
the  same  man  cannot  be  born  on  two  different  days; 
and  God  hath  appointed  only  one  day  in  which  he 
will  judge  the  world.  Now,  on  the  same  principle, 
there  can  be  but  one  "  day  of  the  Sabbath"  of  the 
Lord  our  God.  If  I  should  say  that  the  day  of 
Christ's  Resurrection  is  not  any  particular  day  of 
the  week,  but  only  "  one  day  in  seven,"  you  would 
not  hesitate  to  call  me  a  fool,  while  my  ignorance 
would  excite  your  deepest  sympathy  ;  but  when 
you  say  that  "  the  day  of  the  Sabbath"  does  not 
mean  that  particular  day  on  which  the  Lord's  Sab- 
bath occurred,  but  only  "  one  day  in  seven,"  you  ex- 
pect me  to  receive  your  assertion  as  the  infallible 
teaching  of  superior  wisdom.  I  cannot,  however, 
so  receive  it,  for  the  following  reasons  : — 

1.  If  God  had  meant  "  one  day  in  seven,"  he 
would  have  said  so.  His  first  and  great  design,  in 
writing  his  law  on  tables  of  stone,  was  to  be  under- 
stood by  his  creatures  ;  but,  for  more  than  two  thou- 
sand vears  after  he  gave  the  law,  no  human  being 
3 


26  VINDICATION    OF    THE    TRUE    SABBATH. 

ever  suspected  that  "  the  day  of  the  Sabbath"  meant 
anything  else  than  the  seventh  day  of  the  week,  be- 
cause it  was  commonly  known  that  that  day  alone 
was  in  reality  "  the  day  of  the  Sabbath."  Indeed, 
this  "  one-day-in-seven"  doctrine  is  known  to  have 
been  invented  within  a  few  hundred  years,  with  the 
pious  design  of  accounting  for  a  change  of  Sabbath, 
without  the  necessity  of  repealing  a  portion  of  the 
moral  law.  It  is  matter  of  great  surprise,  that  those 
pious  theologians,  who  first  substituted  "  one  day  in 
seven"  for  "  the  day  of  the  Sabbath,"  did  not  shud- 
der at  the  thought  of  presuming  to  mend  the  lan- 
guage of  the  Holy  Ghost.  *'  The  words  of  the  Lord 
are  pure  words  ;  as  silver  tried  in  a  furnace  of 
earth,  purified  seven  times."  Ps.  12  :  6.  Brethren, 
are  you  prepared  to  enter  into  judgment,  and  an- 
swer for  the  liberties  you  have  taken  with  God's 
word  ]  In  substituting  the  vague  and  indefinite  ex- 
pression, "  one  day  in  seven,"  for  the  definite  and 
unequivocal  terms,  *'  the  Sabbath-day,"  and  "  the 
seventh  day,"  you  have  as  truly  taken  "  away  from 
the  words  of  the  prophecy  of  this  book,"  as  if  you 
had  blotted  the  fourth  commandment  from  the  De- 
calogue ;  while  your  leading  object  has  been,  to 
make  way  for  the  introduction  of  a  new  command 
that,  for  aught  the  Scriptures  teach,  it  never  entered 
into  the  heart  of  the  Almighty  to  put  into  his  law. 
"  A  faithful  witness  will  not  lie,"  and  when  the 
world  asks.  Which  day  of  the  seven  hath  God  ap- 
pointed to  be  the  weekly  Sabbath  1  God  expects 
that  you,  as  faithful  witnesses,  will  not  only  "  not 
lie,"  but  that  you  will  not  equivocate,  or  give  with 
the  gospel  trumpet  "  an  uncertain  sound."  He  does 
not  expect  that  you  will  quote  a  text  from  the  Acts 
of  the  Apostles,  that  says  not  one  word  about  Sab- 
bath-keeping, to  prove  that  the  fourth  command- 
ment enjoins  the  keeping  holy  of  "  one  day  in  se- 
ven," but  of  *'  no  day  in  particular." 


FIRST    REASON.  27 

2.  God  never  blessed  "  one  day  in  seven,"  with- 
out blessing  a  particular  day.  He  either  blessed 
some  definite  object,  or  nothing.  You  may  say,  in- 
deed, without  falsehood,  that  God  blessed  "  one  day 
in  seven  ;"  but  if  you  mean  that  this  act  of  blessing 
did  not  terminate  on  any  particular  day,  you  ought 
to  know,  that  you  are  asserting  what  is  naturally  im- 
possible. As  well  might  you  say  of  a  band  of  rob- 
bers, that  they  had  killed  "  one  man  in  seven,"  while 
in  reality  they  had  killed  no  man  in  particular.  No, 
brethren,  yourselves  know  very  well,  that  God  had 
not  blessed  and  sanctified  any  day  but  the  seventh  of 
the  seven,  prior  to  the  giving  of  the  written  law.  You 
know,  that  if  God  blessed  any  day  of  the  week  at 
all,  it  was  a  definite  day,  distinct  from  all  the  other 
days  of  the  week.  But  this  commandment  says, 
that  "  the  Lord  blessed  the  Sabbath-day."  There- 
fore the  Sabbath-day  must  be  aparticular  dayof  the 
week.  Therefore  "  the  Sabbath-day"  is  not  "  one 
day  in  seven,"  or  an  indefinite  seventh  part  of  time. 
Therefore  it  is  not  "  one  day  in  seven"  that  we  are 
required  to  remember,  and  keep  holy,  and  in  which 
we  are  forbidden  to  do  any  work;  but  "the  se- 
venth day"  of  the  week,  which  was  then,  is  now, 
and  will  be  till  the  end  of  time,  "  the  day  of  the 
Sabbath"   of  the  Lord  our  God. 

3.  No  day  of  the  week  but  the  seventh  was  ever 
called  "the  day  of  the  Sabbath,"  either  by  God  or 
man,  till  long  since  the  death  of  the  last  inspired 
writer.  Search  both  Testaments  through  and 
through,  and  you  will  find  no  other  day  called  "  the 
Sabbath,"  or  even  *'  a  Sabbath,"  except  the  cere- 
monial Sabbaths,  with  which,  of  course,  we  have  no- 
thing to  do  in  this  controversy.  And  long  after  the 
close  of  the  canon  of  inspiration,  the  seventh  day, 
and  no  other,  was  still  called  "  the  Sabbath."  If 
you  can  prove  that  any  one  man,  among  the  millions 


28  VINDICATION    OF    THE    TRUE    SABBATH. 

of  Adam's  children,  from  the  beginning  of  the  world 
till  the  rise  of  Anti-Christ,  ever  called  the  first  day 
of  the  week  ''■  the  Sahhath''  you  will  shed  a  light 
upon  this  controversy,  for  which  a  host  of  able  wri- 
ters have  searched  in  vain. 

But,  farther;  the  first  day  of  the  week  was  not 
observed  by  any  of  the  children  of  men,  as  a  Sab- 
hath,  for  three  hundred  years  after  the  birth  of 
Christ.  Do  you  ask  proof?  I  refer  you  to  Theo- 
dore de  Beza,  who  plainly  says  so.  If  you  are  not 
satisfied  with  the  witness,  will  you  have  the  good- 
ness to  prove  the  affirmative  of  the  proposition  1 

I  infer,  therefore,  that  "  the  day  of  the  Sabbath," 
or  *'  the  Sabbath-day,"  is  the  proper  name  of  the 
seventh  day  of  the  week,  as  much  so  as  "  the  day 
of  Saturn  ;"  and  that  to  attach  this  proper  name«*2^ 
to  some  other  day  of  the  week,  and  to  affirm  that 
God  meant  that  other  day,  as  much  as  he  did  the 
seventh,  when  he  wrote  the  law  on  tables  of  stone, 
is  as  unreasonable  as  it  is  impious.  If  you  say,  that 
when  God  speaks  of  "the  Sabbath-day,"  he  means 
"one  day  in  seven,  but  no  day  in  particular,"  you 
are  as  far  from  the  truth  as  if  you  said  that,  when  he 
speaks  of  Moses,  he  does  not  mean  any  particular 
man,  but  "  some  one  of  the  Israelites."  Moses 
was  one  of  the  Israelites,  just  as  the  Sabbath-day  is 
one  day  in  seven.  But  when  God  says  Moses,  he 
means  Moses  the  son  of  Araram  ;  and  when  he  says 
"  the  Sabbath-day,"  he  means  the  seventh  day  of 
the  week.  You  may  give  different  names  to  the 
same  object,  without  interfering  with  its  identity  ; 
but  to  apply  the  same  name  to  two  different  objects, 
and  then  to  affirm  that  these  two  objects  are  identi- 
cally the  same,  so  that  what  is  predicated  of  the  one 
must  be  true  of  the  other,  is  as  though  a  navigator 
should  discover  an  island  in  the  Southern  Ocean,  and 
call  it  "  England,"  and  then   affirm   that   the    late 


SECOND    REASON.  89 

work  of  Mr.  Macaulay,  entitled  *'  The  Histor}'-  of 
England,"  is  a  veritable  and  authentic  history  of  his 
newly-discovered  empire.  Which  would  you  won- 
der at  most,  the  stupidity  or  the  effrontery  of  that 
navigator  l 

I  cannot  close  this  chapter  without  reminding  you 
that,  in  attempting  to  refute  the  above  reasoning, 
the  main  thing  you  will  have  to  show  is,  that  "  the 
Sabbath-day,"  or  "the  day  of  the  Sabbath,"  is  an 
indefinite  or  general  expression,  applicable  alike  to 
at  least  two  different  days  of  the  week,  and  that  it 
is  used  indefinitely  in  this  commandment.  If  it  has 
been  proved,  that  "  the  day  of  the  Sabbath"  refers, 
and  can  refer,  only  to  the  seventh  day  of  the  week, 
then  it  is  true,  and  will  remain  forever  true,  that 
the  original  Sabbath  law  requires  the  saiictification 
of  no  other  day.  This  is  the  truth  which  I  under- 
took to  exhibit  in  this  chapter,  and  is  my  first  rea- 
son for  believing  the  proposition  under  consider- 
ation. 


CHAPTER    II. 

Second  Reason. 

My  second  reason  for  believing  this  proposition 
is.  That  Adam  and  all  his  posterity  have  solemnly 
covenanted  to  keep  holy  the  seventh  day. 

Genesis  2  :  15 — 17 — "  And  the  Lord  God  took  the  man,  and 
put  him  into  the  Garden  of  Eden,  to  dress  it,  and  to  keep  it. 
And  the  Lord  God  commanded  the  man,  saying.  Of  every  tree 
of  the  garden  thou  mayest  freely  eat;  but  of  the  tree  of  the 
knowledge  of  good  and  evil,  thou  shalt  not  eat  of  it;  for  in  the 
day  that  thou  eatest  thereof  thou  shalt  surely  die." 

Romans  5  :  12   19 — "  Wherefore,  as  by  one  man  sin  entered 


30  VINDICATION    OF    THE    TRUE    SABBATH. 

into  the  world,  and  death  by  sin,  and  so  death  passed  upon 
all  men,  for  that  all  have  sinned."  "  For  as  by  one  man's  dis- 
obedience many  were  made  sinners;  so  by  the  obedience  of 
one  many  shall  be  made  righteous." 

Galatians  3:  10 — ''  For  as  many  as  are  of"  the  works  of  the 
law,  are  under  the  curse :  for  it  is  written,  Cursed  is  every 
one  that  continueth  not  in  all  things  which  are  written  in  the 
book  of  the  law  to  do  them." 

On  these  passages  it  may  be  remarked — 

1.  "  God  gave  to  Adam  a  law,  as  a  covenant  of 
works,  by  which  he  bound  him,  and  all  his  posterity, 
to  personal,  exact,  entire,  and  perpetual  obedience." 

2.  "  This  law,  after  his  fall,  continued  to  be  a  per- 
fect rule  of  righteousness  ;  and,  as  such,  was  delivered 
by  God  upon  Mount  Sinai  in  ten  commandments, 
and  written  in  two  tables."  Therefore,  the  fourth 
commandment  and  the  Sabbath  law  of  the  covenant 
of  works  are  one  and  the  same  law  ;  and  all  believers 
in  Christ  are  now  bound  by  this  law,  as  a  rule  of 
life,  to  remember  and  keep  holy  the  same  Sahhath- 
day  that  Adam  and  all  his  posterity  covenanted  to 
remember  and  keep  holy. 

3.  You  admit  that  Adam,  and  all  Ms  posterity, 
pledged  themselves  to  keep  holy  the  seventh  day  of 
every  week,  and  no  other.  Therefore,  we  are  all  born 
under  a  solemn  obligation,  our  own  obligation  in 
Adam,  to  keep  holy  that  same  seventh  day  of  every 
week  as  long  as  we  remain  on  earth  :  "  Neither  doth 
Christ  in  the  gospel  any  ivay  dissolve  hut  much 
strengthen  this  obligation.'''' 

4.  It  is  now  too  late  to  alter  the  covenant  of 
works,  by  substituting  some  other  day  of  the  week 
for  the  seventh,  for  the  following  reasons  : — 

•First — Because  the  whole  transaction  was  finish- 
ed, in  the  person  of  our  representative,  nearly  six 
thousand  years  ago.  The  covenant  was  made,  the 
obligation  assumed,  the  deed   of  trnnsgression  con- 


SECOND    REASON.  31 

summated,  the  curse  pronounced,  and  the  bitter 
death  experienced,  in  kind,  though  not  in  degree^ 
and  all  this  before  the  first  revelation  of  the  mercy 
of  (rod  in  Christ.  We  are,  therefore,  all  of  us,  the 
very  moment  we  are  born,  accursed  of  God,  for  not 
having  kept  holy  the  seventh  day  of  the  w^eek,  ac- 
cording to  our  covenant.  And  all  w^ho  are  not  re- 
deemed therefrom  by  Christ,  remain  forever  under 
this  curse.  From  w^hich  it  is  plain,  that  to  substi- 
tute some  other  day  for  the  seventh,  since  the  fall 
of  man,  iS  as  impossible  as  it  would  be  to  substitute 
some  other  tree  for  the  "  tree  of  knowledge."  To 
all  who  admit  that  God  made  a  covenant  of  works 
with  all  mankind  in  Adam,  these  truths  ought  to  be 
self-evident.  Brethren,  u'e  acknowledge  that  we  are 
all  guilty  before  God  of  having  eaten  of  the  fruit  of 
the  tree  of  knowledge,  while  we  disclaim  any  guilt 
whatever  in  regard  to  the  fruit  of  every  other  tree  ; 
so  are  we  guilty  of  violating  the  rest  of  the  seventh 
day  of  the  week,  while  we  are  not  by  nature  guilty 
of  polluting  any  other  day. 

Second — Because  such  substitution  would  destroy 
an  integral  part  of  the  moral  law.  The  law  written 
on  the  heart  of  man  said  nothing  about  keeping  holy 
any  other  day  than  the  seventh  ;  for  all  admit  that, 
had  Adam  not  fallen,  there  never  would  have  been 
any  other  holy  day.  If,  then,  this  law  does  not  now 
require  the  sanctification  of  the  seventh  day,  the 
fourth  commandment  must  have  been  annihilated  ;  and 
if  another  day  is  noic  the  Sabbath,  a  new  command- 
ment, requiringybr  a  new  reason  the  sanctification  of 
a  different  day,  must  have  been  substituted  in  its 
place.  But  this  new  law  can  be  no  part  of  the  moral 
law,  because  it  was  not  written  on  man's  heart,  nor 
did  any  human  being  know  of  its  existence  till  thou- 
sands of  God's  people  had  been  taken  home  to  glory. 
God  gave  to  Adam  free  permission  tc  labor  and  do 


J2  VINDICATION    OF    THK    TRUE    SABBATH. 

work  on  every  clay  but  the  seventh,  and  he,  as  a  free 
moral  agent,  accepted  the  proffered  boon.  There- 
fore, to  labor  on  any  one  of  the  first  six  days  of  the 
week  is,  under  the  covenant  of  works,  as  innocent  in 
itself  as,  to  pray  to  the  Creator  of  the  Universe.  It 
is  as  much  a  natural  and  inalienable  right,  as  "  life, 
liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness."  Now,  if  there 
is  a  law  that  requires  the  keeping  holy  of  some  other 
day,  it  must  have  its  origin  in  the  new-covenant 
grace  of  God  ;  and  if  that  other  day,  and  not  the 
seventh,  is  now  the  Sabbath,  men  are  now  no  more 
under  a  natural  obligation  to  keep  a  Sabbath  than 
to  be  baptized,  or  to  celebrate  the  Lord's  Supper. 
The  obligation  to  keep  it  must,  on  your  principle, 
grow  out  of  their  new-covenant  relation  to  Grod  in 
Christ. 

Let  us  now  look  for  a  moment  at  the  consequences 
flowing  from  the  doctrine,  that  some  other  day — the 
first,  for  example — has  been  substituted  for  the  se- 
venth. "  Try  the  spirits."  "  By  their  fruits  ye  shall 
know  them." 

1.  If  this  doctiine  be  true,  the  doctrine  that 
Adam  represented  all  hisj^osterifj/,  must  be  false  ;  for, 
if  Adam  covenanted,  as  you  admit  he  did,  to  keep 
holy  the  seventh  day  of  every  week,  and  we  fire  not 
bound  to  do  so,  he  certainly  did  not  represent  us, 
neither  in  that  nor  in  any  other  part  of  the  covenant ; 
for,  if  we  did  not  promise  in  Adam  to  keep  holy  the 
Sabbath-day,  we  did  not  promise  to  keep  any  thing 
else. 

2.  If  this  doctrine  be  true,  there  is  now  no  such 
thing  as  original  sin.  This  follows  as  a  matter  of 
course  ;  for,  if  Adam  did  not  represent  us,  we  are 
not  born  sinners.  The  fact  might  be  proved  in  an- 
other way,  but  this  is  enough. 

3.  If  this  doctrine  be  true,  and  the  law  of  the  new 
Sabbath  bind  "  all  men,"  as  you  say  it  does,  it  must 


SECOND    REASON.  33 

bind  the  Jicathen,  who  are  a  part  of"  all  men."  But 
if  there  is  a  new  Sabbath  instituted,  it  can  only  be 
made  known  through  the  written  word  of  God,  of 
which  the  heathen  can  know  nothing.  This  new  Sab- 
bath has  never  been  made  known  to  them,  nor  to 
any  of  their  ancestors.  Nevertheless,  you  say  that 
they  are  bound  to  observe  it,  according  to  the  written 
word,  and  that  they  shall  be  punished  to  all  eter- 
nity for  breaking  it ;  which  is  contrary  to  the  teach 
ing  of  the  Apostle,  (Rom.  2  :  12,)  that  the  heathen 
shall  be  judged  and  condemned,  not  by  the  written 
word,  but  by  the  law  of  nature,  which  you  know  can 
reveal  no  Sabbath  but  that  of  the  seventh  day  ;  for 
Adam,  who  understood  the  law  of  nature  better 
than  any  other  mere  man,  never  thought  of  keeping 
holy  any  other  day.  And,  moreover,  the  heathen 
have,  on  your  principle,  only  nine  commandments 
to  obey  or  disobey  ;  for  they  are  under  the  law  of 
nature,  which  says,  "  Keep  holy  the  seventh  day :" 
but  you  say  that  God  does  not  now  require  this  : 
therefore  they  are  released  from  the  obligation. 
And,  what  is  stranger  still,  the  heathen  have  no 
means  of  knowing  that  to  keep  the  seventh  day  is  a 
work  of  supererogation.  These  are  a  few  of  the  con- 
sequences of  your  doctrine  of  a  change  of  Sabbath. 
What  must  be  the  character  of  that  tree  which  yields 
such  fruits  ! 

Let  us  now  attend  for  a  moment  to  your  objec- 
tions. 

Do  you  say,  Those  who  believe  in  Christ  are  re- 
deemed, not  only  from  the  curse  of  the  Sabbath  law, 
but  also  from  the  obligation  to  obey  it  in  future  ]  If 
so,  who  can  tell  but  we  are  redeemed  from  every 
other  moral  obligation  ] 

Or,  do  you  alledge,  that  Christ  makes  a  new  con- 
tract with  the  sinner,  saying,  If  you  keep  holy  the 
first  day,  I  will  release  you  from  the  obligation  to 


.^4  VINDICATION    OF    THE    TRUE    SABBATH. 

sanctify  the  seventh  ?  "  Do  we  then  make  void  the 
law  through  faith  ?  God  forbid  ;  yea,  we  establish 
the  law."  Rom.  3:31.  But  perhaps  you  say,  To 
change  the  Sabbath  from  one  day  to  another  is  not 
to  make  void  the  law  ;"  it  is  only  to  vary  its  appli- 
cation. I  reply.  It  is  to  make  void,  to  annul,  to 
annihilate,  one  tenth  part  of  that  law  that  G-od  wrote 
on  Adam's  heart ;  for,  as  has  been  shown  already, 
that  law  required  him  to  keep  no  day  holy  but  the 
seventh. 

Or,  do  you  plead  that,  as  God  has  substituted  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  for  the  sinner,  without  violating 
the  moral  law,  so  he  may  have  substituted  some 
other  day  for  the  seventh  1  I  reply.  The  cases  are 
not  parallel ;  for — 

1.  The  substitution  of  Christ  does  not  render  a 
change  of  any  part  of  the  law  necessary  ;  but  the 
other  does.  Christ  *'  came  not  to  destroy"  the  law, 
but  to  fulfill  it  ;  and  in  fulfilling  it,  he  honored  the 
seventh  day  :  but  the  substitution  of  some  other  day 
for  the  seventh,  had  it  taken  place  before  Christ 
came,  would  have  released  him,  as  well  as  us,  from 
the  obligation  to  obey  a  part  of  the  law  of  the  cove- 
nant of  works. 

2.  A  change  of  Sabbath  is  not,  like  the  substitu- 
tion of  Christ,  necessary  to  the  salvation  of  sinners ; 
for  God  had  saved  thousands  before  this  change  is 
alledged  to  have  taken  place. 

3.  The  substitution  of  Christ  changes  the  moral 
condition  of  the  church  only  ;  but  the  change  of 
Sabbath  would  affect  the  moral  relations  of  all  men  ; 
for  the  Sabbath  was  made,  not  for  the  church,  but 
"  for  man." 

4.  The  evangelical  doctrine  of  the  substitution 
ary  sacrifice  of  Christ,  of  itself,  proves  the  impossi- 
bility of  a  change  of  Sabbath.  All  evangelical 
Christians  hold,  that  believers  are  delivered,  through 


SECOND    REASON.  3A 

Christ,  from  the  curse  of  the  law — the  law  of  the 
covenant  of  works — but  not  from  the  obligation  to 
obey  it.  If,  therefore,  that  law  required  Adam  and 
his  'posterity  to  keep  holy  the  seventh  day  of  the 
week,  Christ  has  never  redeemed  them  from  the  ob- 
ligation to  render  **  exact  obedience,''^  in  this  particu- 
lar, as  in  every  other. 

Do  you  plead,  as  a  last  resort,  that,  as  the  com- 
mand not  to  eat  of  the  fruit  of  the  tree  of  knowledge 
has  passed  away,  so  it  may  be  with  the  law  of  the 
seventh-day  Sabbath  ?  I  reply,  The  cases  are  nat 
parallel  ;  for  that  command  never  was  a  part  of  the 
moral  law.  It  was  never  written,  either  on  man's 
heart,  or  on  tables  of  stone  ;  but  this  was.  Besides, 
the  tree  of  knowledge  has  been  destroyed  from  the 
face  of  the  earth,  so  that  to  eat  of  its  fruit  is  now 
impossible  ;  but  the  seventh  day  will  continue  to 
return  "  while  the  earth  remaineth." 

Brethren,  you  bewilder  yourselves  and  others,  by 
adopting,  as  a  moral  axiom,  the  false  principle,  that 
whatever  is  in  its  nature  positive,  is,Jor  that  reason, 
changeable.  There  is  no  principle  more  deadly 
than  this.  Do  you  not  know,  that  all  our  hopes,  as 
Christians,  for  time  and  for  eternity,  are  suspended 
on  the  immutability  of  that  positive  arrangement  be- 
tween the  Father  and  the  Son,  which  we  call  the 
covenant  of  grace  %  Are  not  the  decrees  of  God 
all  positive,  yet,  at  the  same  time,  immutable  ?  So, 
also,  the  Sabbath  law,  though  in  its  nature  positive, 
has  been  made  unchangeable,  by  a  solemn  covenant 
arrangement,  "  in  which  it  was  impossible  for  God 
to  lie."  If  God  had  not  made  the  law,  requiring  the 
sanctification  of  the  seventh  day,  an  essential  part  of 
the  covenant  of  works,  your  doctrine  of  a  change  of 
Sabbath  would  not  be  so  preposterous.  As  it  is,  how 
can  serious,  thinking  men,  help  viewing  it  as  a  mon- 
strous and  impious  absurdity  ! 


3*f  VINDICATION    OF    THE    TRUE    SABBATH 


CHAPTER     III. 

Third  Reason. 

My  third  reason  for  believing  this  proposition  is. 
That  Christ  and  his  Apostles  honored  this  day ;  and 
did  not  intimate  that  it  would  ever  cease  to  be  the 
Sabbath,  but  the  contrary. 

1.  Christ  honored  this  day. 

I4uk'^4:  16 — "And  he  came  to  Nazareth,  where  he  had 
been  bi'ought  up :  and,  as  his  custom  was,  he  went  into  the 
synagogue  on  the  Sabbath-day,  and  stood  up  for  to  read." 

Luke  4:  30,  31;  (See  also  Mark  1:  21) — "  But  he,  passing 
through  the  midst  of  them,  went  his  way,  and  came  down  to 
Capernaum,  a  city  of  Galilee,  and  taught  them  on  the  Sabbath- 
days." 

Luke  13  :  10 — "  And  he  was  teaching  in  one  of  the  syna- 
gogues on  the  Sabbath." 

Mark  3:  1,2 — "And  he  entered  again  into  the  synagogue; 
and  there  was  a  man  there  which  had  a  withered  hand.  And 
they  watched  him  whether  he  would  heal  him  on  the  Sab- 
bath-day." 

Mark  6:  2 — "  And  when  the  Sabbath-day  was  come,  he  be- 
gan to  teach  in  the  synagogue." 

2.  The  Apostles  honored  this  day.  Read  care- 
fully the  following  passages  and  their  contexts. 

Acts  13:  14 — "  But  when  they  departed  from  Perga,  they 
came  to  Antioch  in  Pisidia,  and  went  into  the  synagogue  on 
the  Sabbath-day,  and  sat  down." 

Acts  13:  44 — "  And  the  next  Sabbath-day  came  almost  the 
whole  city  together  to  hear  the  word  of  God."  (That  is,  to 
hear  Paul  and  Barnabas  preach.) 

Acts  14:  1 — "  And  it  came  to  pass  in  Iconium,  that  they 
Paul  and  Barnabas)  went  both  together  into  the  synagogue 


THIRD    REASON.  37 

of  the  Jews,  and  eo  spake,  that  a  great  multitade,  both  of  the 
Jews,  and  also  of  the  Greeks,  believed." 

Acts  16:  23 — "And  on  the  Sabbath  we  went  out  of  the 
city  by  a  riverside,  where  prayer  was  wont  to  be  made  ;  and  we 
sat  down,  and  spake  unto  the  women  which  resorted  thither." 

Acts  17 :  2 — "  And  Paul,  as  his  manner  was,  went  in  unto 
them,  and  three  Sabbath-days  reasoned  with  them  out  of  the 
Scriptures." 

Acts  18  :  4 — "And  he  (Paul)  reasoned  in  the  synagoguge 
every  Sabbath,  and  persuaded  the  Jews  and  the  Greeks." 

Brethren,  if  you  produce  one  solitary  apostolic 
example  of  unnecessary  labor  performed  on  the 
seventh  day,  I  will  at  once  give  up  the  argument  in 
its  favor. 

3.  Neither  Christ  nor  his  Apostles  intimated  that 
the  seventh  day  would  cease  to  be  the  Sabbath. 

This  being  a  negative  assertion,  I  am  not  bound 
to  prove  it,  of  course.  If  you  assert  that  they  did, 
I  demand  the  proof  of  it. 

4.  Christ  has  very  plainly  intimated  the  contrary. 

Matthew  24  :  20 — "  But  pray  ye  that  your  flight  be  not  in 
winter,  neithe»'  on  the  Sabbath-day." 

The  ^'ilignt''  here  spoken  of  was  to  take  pi?.ce 
about  the  time  of  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  ;  and 
the  Saviour  admonishes  his  disciples  to  pray  that  it 
might  not  happen  on  the  Sabbath-day.  Now,  if  he 
knew  that  the  Sabbath-day  would  be  changed  into 
the  "Lord's  day,"  fotty  years  before  the  event  he 
had  just  alluded  to,  why  did  he  speak  of  it  as  a 
thing  that  would  be  then  in  existence  ]  Many  are 
the  efforts  that  have  been  made  to  evade  the  force  of 
the  argument  from  this  text ;  but  they  are  all  un- 
availing. 

Matthew  5:  17,  19 — "  Think  not  that  I  am  come  to  destroy 
the  law,  or  the  prophets :  I  am  not  come  to  destroy,  but  to 
fulfill.     For  verily  I  say  unto  you,  Till  heaven  and  earth  pass,. 
4 


38  VINDICATION    OF    THE    TRUE    SABBATH. 

one  jot  or  one  tittle  shall  in  no  wise  pass  from  the  law,  till  all 
be  fulfilled.  Whosoever  therefore  shall  break  one  of  thesa 
least  commandments,  and  shall  teach  men  so,  he  shall  be  called 
least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven :  but  whosoever  shall  do  and 
teach  them,  the  same  shall  be  called  great  in  the  kingdom  of 
heaven." 

It  is  almost  universally  admitted,  that  the  Saviour, 
in  these  verses,  refers  principally  to  the  ten  ccm- 
mandments,  w^hich  were  then,  as  now,  called,  by  way 
of  preeminence,  *'  the  law."  That  he  may  have  re- 
ferred also  to  the  ceremonial  code,  which  he  came 
to  fulfill,  we  do  not  deny.  But  this  has  nothing  to  do 
wdth  our  present  purpose. 

That  the  fourth  commandment  enjoins  the  sanc- 
tification  of  the  seventh  day  of  the  week,  no  man  in 
his  senses  denies.  But  you  alledge  that  that  part 
of  it  has  been  taken  away,  so  that  it  does  not  now 
bind  us. 

Now,  in  making  this  assertion,  you  either  affirm 
what  is  positively  denied  in  the  above  quotation,  or 
you  make  this  commandment  at  least  partly  cere- 
monial, and  ^peculiar  to  the  Jews.  This  will  appear 
evident  from  the  following  considerations  : — 

First — The  command  to  keep  holy  the  seventh 
day  of  the  week,  is  far  more  than  "  one  jot  or  one 
tittle"  of  this  law.  It  could  be  no  less,  but  it  is 
much  more.  Indeed,  it  is  very  certain,  that  Adam 
considered  it  a  very  important  part  of  the  law  ;  and 
8o  did  Christ,  when  he  uttered  these  words,  for  he 
kept  the  Sabbath  as  devoutly  as  Adam  ever  did. 

Second — Heaven  and  earth  have  not  yet  passed 
away  ;  but  you  say  that  this  seventh-day  law  has  ; 
therefore,  much  more  than  "  one  jot  or  one  tittle" 
has  passed  from  the  law — which  is  contraiy  to 
Christ's  assertion. 

Third — If  you  say  that  Christ  has  fulfilled  this 
law,  and  so  taken  it  away,  you  make  it  a  ceremony, 
like  the  Passover.     You  know  that  Christ  never  ful- 


THIRD    REASON.  39 

filled,  so  as  to  take  away,  any  law  but  those  that  he 
**  nailed  to  his  cross,"  and  that  he  never  nailed  to 
his  cross  any  law  that  bindeth  **  all  men  in  all  ages." 
If,  then,  the  law  requiring  the  sanctification  of  the 
seventh  day  of  the  week  has  been  nailed  to  the  cross 
of  Christ,  it  must  have  been  a  ceremony  peculiar  to 
the  Jews,  and  to  which  the  Gentiles  were  never 
bound.  Was  Adam  a  Jew  P  Was  Enoch  a  Jew  ? 
Were  Noah  and  his  sons  Jews  ]  But  these  all  kept 
the  seventh  day,  and  no  other* 

Brethren,  it  has  been  proved,  in  the  first  chapter 
of  this  treatise,  that  the  fourth  commandment  re- 
quires simply  the  observance  of  the  seventh  day  of 
the  week.  I  will  not  repeat  what  is  there  said.  I 
now  ask  you,  as  candid  inquirers  after  truth,  to  place 
this  commandment  and  our  Saviour's  declarations, 
quoted  above,  side  by  side,  and  see  i^  your  conduct 
is  not  at  war  with  both.  You  neglect  the  only  day 
that  God's  law  requires  you  to  remember,  while 
Christ  assures  you,  in  the  most  solemn  manner,  that 
"  one  jot  or  one  tittle"  shall  in  no  wise  pass  from 
the  law,  "  till  heaven  and  earth  pass,"  or  till  time 
shall  be  no  more. 


*  Some  of  my  Reformed  Presbyterian  brethren  appear  to  be 
as  far  from  believing  "  the  whole  doctrine  of  the  Westminster 
Confession  of  Faith"  as  myself,  only  they  are  a  little  more 
guarded  in  the  choice  of  words.  That  Confession  says,  (ch, 
21,  sec.  7,)  "  — so,  in  his  word,  by  a  positive,  moral,  and  per- 
petual commandment,  binding  all  men  in  all  ages,  he  hath  par- 
ticularly appointed  one  day  in  seven  for  a  Sabbath,  to  be  kept 
holy  unto  him."  But  Rev.  Andrew  Stephenson,  in  a  letter  to 
me,  speaking  of  the  seventh-day  Sabbath,  styles  it,  "This  re- 
lict of  Judaism  ;''  and  Rev.  James  Milligan,  in  a  recent  letter, 
asks  me,  "  Why  has  not  the  Lord's  day  as  good  a  right  to  take 
the  place  of  the  seventh  day,  as  the  Lord's  Supper  has  to 
take  the  place  of  the  Passover  ?"  Query — Are  Reformed  Pres- 
byterians, who  hold  such  sentiments,  any  better  qualified  to 
judge  their  brethren  for  Sabbath-breaking,  than  I  would  be  to 
jud^e  them  for  a  like  offense  ? 


40  VINDICATION    OF    THE    TRUE    SABBATH. 

There  is  a  little  commandment  in  that  law  that 
says,  "  The  seventh  day  is  the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord 
thy  God  ;  in  it  thou  shalt  not  do  any  work."  Christ 
says,  that  whosoever  doeth  and  teacheth  this  com- 
mandment "  shall  be  called  great  in  the  kingdom  of 
heaven."  But  this  hath  been  my  only  crime.  God 
knows,  and  you  know,  that  the  only  thing  T  have 
done  to  offend  you  is,  that  I  endeavor  to  refrain 
from  doing  work  on  the  seventh  day,  and  to 
"  teach  men  so."  Yet  for  this  I  am  declared  to  be 
the  "  least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven,"  and  no  longer 
worthy  of  a  seat  at  the  table  of  Him  who  said,  that 
**  one  jot  or  one  tittle"  should  in  no  wise  pass  from 
the  law. 

Blessed  be  God !  it  is  a  light  thing  to  be  judged 
of  man's  judgment.  But  I  confess  that  sometimes 
my  blood  runs  cold,  when  I  think  of  this  solemn 
declaration  of  the  same  "  Lord  of  the  Sabbath," 
(John  12  :  48,)  "  He  that  rejecteth  me,  and  receiv- 
eth  not  my  words,  hath  one  that  judgeth  him  :  the 
word  that  I  have  spoken,  the  same  shall  judge  him 
in  the  last  day."  "  Never  man  spake  like  this  man." 
O,  brethren,  are  you  ready  for  that  awful  judgment 
day  1  Nothing  but  God's  word  will  avail  you  there. 
If  you  are  determined  to  go  on,  appropriating  the 
seventh  day  to  secular  purposes,  and  "  teaching  men 
so,"  I  cannot  help  it ;  but  I  call  heaven  and  earth 
to  witness,  that,  in  regard  to  every  reader  of  these 
pages,  my  skirts  are  henceforth  clear.  On  your 
own  souls  will  rest  the  responsibility  of  rejecting 
these  solemn  words  of  Christ.  And  you  who  are 
ministers — how  will  you  answer  for  the  wanderings 
of  those  lambs  of  Christ's  fold,  whom  you  are  lead- 
ing into  strange  pastures  1 


FOURTH    REASON.  41 

CHAPTER    IV. 

Fourth  Reason. 

My  fourth  reason  for  believing  this  proposition  is, 
That  God  has  never  blessed  and  sanctified  any  day 
of  the  week  but  the  seventh. 

In  sustaining  this  reason,  as  I  occupy  negative 
ground,  I  shall  simply  defend  it  against  your  usual 
scripture  arguments  in  defense  of  your  favorite  doc- 
trine, that  God  blessed  and  sanctified  the  first  day  of 
the  week,  in  commemoration  of  the  resurrection  of 
Christ. 

In  arguing  this  doctrine,  you  do  not  pretend  to 
offer  positive,  but  only  inferential  proof.  You  quote 
certain  texts,  and  say.  Hence  we  infer  that  the  first 
day  of  the  week  is  the  Sabbath.  Now,  as  there  are 
many  possible,  and  even  plausible,  inferences,  that 
are  not  necessarily  true,  I  intend  to  be  governed, 
in  the  examination  of  your  scripture  proofs,  by  the 
following  rule  of  interpretation  : — 

"  The  whole  counsel  of  God,  concerning  all  things 
necessary  for  his  own  glory,  man's  salvation,  faith, 
and  life,  is  either  expressly  set  down  in  scripture,  or 
by  good  and  necessary  consequence  may  be  deduced 
from  scripture." 

Brethren,  I  intend,  with  God's  help,  to  show 
that,  according  to  the  above  rule,  which  you  admit 
to  be  correct,  all  your  inferences  in  favor  of  a  first- 
day  Sabbath  are  unnecessary,  and  some  of  them 
wholly  inadmissible. 

YOUR    FIRST    PROOF. 

Hebrews  4  :  9,  10 — "  There  remaineth,  therefore,  a  rest 
(sabbatism)  to  the  people  of  God.  For  he  that  is  entered  into 
his  rest,  he  also  hath  ceased  from  his  own  works,  as  God  did 
from  his." 


42  VINDICATION    OF    THE    TRUE    SABBATH 

Your  premises  consist  of  four  assertions  : — First, 
That  the  rest,  or  sabbatism,  thatremaineth,  is  some- 
thing different  from  the  ancient  Sabbath.  Second, 
That  the  person  who  "  hath  ceased  from  his  own 
works,  as  God  did  from  his,"  is  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  These  two  assertions  I  most  cheerfully 
admit.  Third,  That  Christ  entered  into  his  rest  on 
the  day  of  his  resurrection.  Fourth,  That  the  sab- 
batism of  God's  people  is  enjoyed  in  this  life.  These 
last  two  assertions  I  utterly  deny. 

Your  inference  is.  That  the  first  day  of  every 
v(^eek,  that  being  the  day  of  the  week  on  which 
Christ  rose,  is  the  sabbatism  of  God's  people.  Of 
course,  if  I  prove  that  the  last  two  assertions  are 
false,  your  inference  will  be  shown  to  be  inadmis- 
sible. 

I  assert,  then, — 

1.  That  Christ  did  not  "  enter  into  his  rest"  on 
the  day  of  his  resurrection  ;  for  the  following  rea- 
sons : — First,  Because  the  Scriptures  do  not  say  so. 
Second,  Because  this  earth  is  not  the  place  of  his 
rest.  He  was,  to  the  last  day  he  spent  here,  "  a 
pilgrim  and  a  stranger  in  the  earth,"  and  had  not 
therein  "  where  to  lay  his  head."  But  his  resurrec- 
tion took  place  on  earth,  and  he  continued  on  earth 
for  "  forty  days"  afterwards.  Third,  Because  the 
scriptures  plainly  teach,  that  the  Mediator  did  "  en- 
ter into  his  rest,"  when  he  "  sat  down  on  the  right 
hand  of  the  Majesty  on  high."  Heb.  1  :  3.  "Arise, 
0  Lord,  into  thy  rest ;  thou  and  the  ark  of  thy 
strength."  Ps.  132  :  2.  This  was  the  prayer  of 
David  and  the  congregation  of  Israel,  when  they  re- 
moved the  ark  from  the  house  of  Obed-Edom  to  the 
place  "  that  David  had  pitched  for  it."  When  Solo- 
mon and  the  Elders  of  Israel  brought  up  the  ark 
from  the  city  of  David,  and  placed  it  in  the  holy  of 
holies,  in  the  temple  "  made  with  hands,"  they  pray 


FOURTH    REASON.  43 

ed  in  like  manner,  "  Now  therefore  arise,  O  Lord 
God,  into  thy  resting-place,  thou,  and  the  ark  of  thy 
strength."  2  Chron.  6  :  41.  Now  the  ark  was  a 
type  of  Christ,  while  "heaven  itself"  is  the  true 
"  holy  of  holies,"  *'  whither  the  forerunner  is  for  us 
entered,  even  Jesus,  made  a  high  priest  forever  af- 
ter the  order  of  Melchizedek."  Heb.  6  :  20.  If, 
then,  the  ark  entered  into  its  rest,  when  it  was 
placed  in  the  holy  of  holies,  Jesus  Christ,  the  anti- 
typical  ark,  entered  into  his  rest  when  he  sat  down 
on  the  right  hand  of  God,  in  the  anti-typical  holy  of 
holies.  Fourth,  Because  the  Apostle's  great  design, 
in  this  epistle,  was  to  convince  the  church,  and  espe- 
cially the  Hebrews,  that  Christ,  having  "  by  himself 
purged  our  sins,"  as  they  all  admitted  he  had 
done,  "  sat  do\vn  on  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty 
on  high,"  (ch.  1  ;  3,)  as  our  ever-living  Intercessor. 
Yes,  the  **  one  idea,"  that  runs  through  the  whole 
Epistle,  is  to  illustrate  and  magnify  the  doctrine  of 
the  glorious  intercession  of  Christ  the  Mediator, 
who,  *'  after  he  had  offered  one  sacrifice  for  sins, 
forever  sat  down  on  the  right  h&nd  of  God."  Do 
you  ask  proof  I  Take,  then,  the  apostle's  own  as- 
sertion, (ch.  8  :  1,)  *'  Now,  of  the  things  which  we 
have  spoken,  this  is  the  sum  :  We  have  such  a  high 
priest,  who  is  set  on  the  right  hand  of  the  throne  of 
the  Majesty  in  the  heavens  ;  a  minister  of  the  sanc- 
tuary, and  of  the  true  tabernacle,  which  the  Lord 
pitched,  and  not  man."  All  that  is  said  in  the  third 
and  fourth  chapters,  about  the  rest  of  Christ  and  the 
eabbatism  of  the  people  of  God,  is  included  in  this 
summary  ;  so  that  it  is  to  Christ's  eternal  rest  in  the 
heavens  that  the  verses  under  consideration  refer. 
Indeed,  we  have  evidence  of  this  fact,  satisfactory 
enough,  in  the  immediate  context,  (ch.  3  :  4,) 
*'  Wherefore,  holy  brethren,  partakers  of  the  hea- 
venly calling,  consider  the  Apostle  and  High  Priest 


44  VINDICATION    OF    THE    TRUE    SABBATH. 

of  our  profession,  Christ  Jesus" — compared  with 
ch.  4  :  14 — *'  Seeing,  then,  that  we  have  a  great  High 
Priest,  that  is  passed  into  the  heavens,  Jesus  the  Son 
of  God,  let  us  hold  fast  our  profession."  Fifth,  Be- 
cause there  is  not,  in  this  epistle,  one  solitary  refer- 
ence to  the  resurrection  of  Christ,  except  in  the  con- 
cluding benediction  ;  but  it  abounds  in  references 
to  his  ascension  and  intercession. 

2.  If  I  have  reasoned  correctly  above,  your  as- 
sertion, that  the  sabbatism  of  God's  people  is  en- 
joyed in  this  life,  scarcely  needs  refutation.  As 
Christ  entered  into  his  rest,  when  he  received  the 
crown  of  glory  from  the  Father  ;  so  believers  shall 
enter  into  his  rest,  when  they  "  shall  be  glorified  with 
him."  Moreover,  as  Christ  did  not  enter  into  his 
rest  on  the  first  day  of  the  week,  your  inference, 
that  that  day  is  the  Sabbath,  is  not  on\y  unnecessary , 
but  wholly  inadmissible. 

Bear  in  mind  also,  brethren,  that,  if  Christ  did  not 
enter  into  his  rest  on  the  first  day  of  the  week,  then 
your  great  philosophical  argument  for  the  first-day 
Sabbath,  founded  uJ)on  the  fact,  that  the  work  of 
redemption  is  greater  than  that  of  creation,  vanishes 
at  once  into  smoke,  or,  at  least,  becomes  useless  for 
your  purpose. 

YOUR    SECOND    PROOF. 

Psalm  118  :  22,  24 — "  The  stone  which  the  builders  refused 
is  become  the  head-stone  of  the  corner."  "This  is  the  day 
which  the  Lord  hath  made,  we  will  rejoice  and  be  glad  in  it." 

Acts  4  :  10,  11 — "  Be  it  known  unto  you  all.  and  to  all  the 
people  of  Israel,  that  by  the  name  of  Jesus  Cliiist  of  Nazareth, 
w^hom  ye  crucitied,  whom  God  raised  from  the  dead,  even  by 
him  doth  this  man  stand  here  before  you  whole.  This  is  the 
stone  which  was  set  at  nought  of  you  builders,  which  is  be- 
come the  head  of  the  corner." 

You  premise,  that  "  the  day  which  the  Lord  hath 
made"  is  the    day  of  the  resurrection  of  Christ. 


FOURTH     REASON.  45 

Whence  you  infer,  that  the  first  day  of  the  week  is 
the  Sabbath. 

1.  If  what  you  premise  were  true,  tlie  inference 
does  not  follow.  The  prophet  does  not  say,  We 
will  rejoice  and  be  glad  in  the  same  day  of  every 
week  ;  but,  We  will  rejoice  and  be  glad  in  it,  that 
is,  in  that  day,  whatever  it  may  be.  Now  Christ 
did  not  rise  on  the  first  day  of  every  week,  but  on 
one  single  day  ;  and  we  may  very  well  rejoice  and 
be  glad  in  that  one  day,  without  keeping  any  Sab- 
bath in  connection  with  it.  Abraham  rejoiced  and 
was  glad  in  the  day  of  Christ ;  but  he  kept  no  Sab- 
bath in  honor  of  it.  So,  doubtless,  you  rejoice  and 
are  glad  in  the  day  of  his  crucifixion,  though  you  do 
not  celebrate  it  on  any  particular  day  of  the  week. 
But— 

2,  You  are  evidently  mistaken  in  referring  this 
language  of  the  Psalmist  to  the  resurrection  of 
Christ — for  the  following  reasons  : — 

First — Because  "  the  day  which  the  Lord  hath 
made"  is  the  same  in  which  Christ  went  in  by  the 
gates  of  righteousness.  Verses  19  and  20.  "Open 
to  me  the  gates  of  righteousness  :  I  will  go  into 
them,  and  I  will  praise  the  Lord.  This  gate  of  the 
Lord,  into  which  the  righteous  shall  enter."  Now, 
though  Christ  did  come  up  from  "  the  gates  of  death" 
on  the  day  of  his  resurrection,  he  did  not  formally 
"  enter"  by  *'  the  gates  of  righteousness,"  till  that 
day  when  he  ascended  from  Mount  Olivet,  which 
was  not  the  first  day  of  the  week.  His  almighty 
power  and  eternal  Sonship  were  declared  most  glo- 
riously on  the  day  of  his  resurrection  ;  but  it  was 
on  the  day  of  his  ascension  that  his  mediatorial 
righteousness  was  formally  approved  by  the  Father ; 
while  it  was  visibly  manifested,  in  the  presence  of 
the  universe,  that  the  door  of  heaven  had  been  opened 
to  all  true  believers.     Then  shouted  the  seraphim, 


46  VINDICATION    OF    THE    TRUE    SABBATH. 

and  all  the  host  of  heaven,  while  the  door-posts  oi 
the  New  Jerusalem  trembled  at  the  voice,  "  Arise, 
O  Jehovah,  into  thy  rest,  thou,  and  the  ark  of  thy 
strength.  Let  thy  priests  be  clothed  with  righteous- 
ness ;  and  let  thy  saints  shout  for  joy  !"  Therefore, 
this  is  not  the  day  of  Christ's  resurrection,  but  that 
of  his  ascension. 

Second — Because  "  the  day  which  the  Lord  hath 
made"  is  the  same  in  which  "  the  stone  which  the 
builders  refused"  became  "  the  head-stone  of  the 
corner,"  (verse  22.)  Christ  did  not  become  "  the 
head  of  the  corner,"  till  he  "  sat  down  on  the  right 
hand  of  God."  You  assert  that  he  did,  and  refer  to 
Acts  4  :  10,  11,  quoted  above,  as  proof.  From  what 
the  apostle  there  sets  forth,  you  draw  the  inference, 
that,  as  he  was  set  at  nought  by  the  builders,  when 
he  was  crucified,  so  he  became  the  head  of  the  cor- 
ner, when  God  raised  him  from  the  dead.  The 
apostle  does  not  say,  however,  that  this  took  place 
on  the  same  day  that  he  rose  from  the  dead ;  and  all 
that  we  must  necessarily  infer  from  what  he  does  say, 
is,  that  he  became  the  head  of  the  corner  since  his 
resurrection,  which  is  cheerfully  admitted.  But 
whether  it  was  on  the  same  day,  or  two,  or  ten,  or 
forty  days  after,  the  apostle  saith  not.  Still  your  in- 
ference would  be  entirely  natural  and  proper,  if  it 
were  not  contrary  to  the  analogy  of  faith,  and  to  the 
teachings  of  the  same  spirit  in  other  parts  of  the 
Scriptures. 

I  suppose  it  will  be  admitted,  that  when  Christ 
became  the  head  of  the  corner,  he  became  "  the 
he-ad  over  all  things  to  the  church,"  and  that  then 
"  all  things  were  put  under  his  feet."  Now  the 
apostle  clearly  teaches,  that  these  things  took  place 
when  he  sat  down  on  the  right  hand  of  God,  as  ap- 
pears from  the  following  texts  : — 

Ephesians  1 :  20 — 22—"  Which  he  wrought  in  Christ,  when 


FOURTH    REASON.  47 

he  raised  him  from  the  dead,  (or,  having  raised  him  from  the 
dead,)  and  set  him  at  his  own  right  hand  in  the  heavenly 
places,  far  above  all  principality,  and  ipower,  and  might,  and 
dominion,  and  every  name  that  is  named,  not  only  in  this  world, 
but  also  in  that  which  is  to  come  :  and  hath  put  all  things  un- 
der his  feet,  and  gave  him  to  be  head  over  all  things  to  the 
church." 

Hebrews  2  :  8,  9 — "  But  now  we  see  not  yet  all  things  put 
under  him  (man;)  but  we  see  Jesus,  who  was  made  a  little 
lower  than  the  angels,  for  the  suffering  of  death,  crowned  with 
glory  and  honor."  Observe,  that  the  Apostle's  great  object 
in  this  epistle  is,  to  show  that  Christ  is  in  heaven,  forever  in- 
terceding for  the  church . 

Now,  is  it  not  manifest  from  these  texts,  that  Christ 
became  the  head  of  the  corner  when  he  ascended 
to  his  Father  and  our  Father,  to  his  God  and  our 
God]  Nor  is  there  any  thing  in  Acts  4  :  10,  11, 
that  contradicts  this  idea. 

Brethren,  the  glorious  building  of  grace  has  its 
foundation,  not  on  earth,  wher^  we  are  pilgrims  and 
strangers,  but  in  heaven,  where  Jesus,  the  corner- 
stone, "  elect  and  precious,"  sitteth  at  the  right  hand 
of  God,  and  is  constantly  occupied  in  gathering  from 
afar  the  *'  lively  stones"  of  the  glorious  edifice. 
Blessed  forever  be  his  holy  name ! 

TOUR    THIRD    PROOF. 

John  20:  19,  26~"  Then  the  same  day  at  evening,  being  the 
first  day  of  the  week,  when  the  doors  were  shut  where  the 
diseiples  were  assembled  for  fear  of  the  Jews,  came  Jesus  and 
stood  in  the  midst,  and  saith  unto  them,  Peace  be  unto  you." 
"  A.nd  after  eight  days  again  his  disciples  were  within,  and 
Thomas  with  them;  then  came  Jesus;  the  doors  being  shut, 
and  stood  in  the  midst,  and  said.  Peace  be  unto  you."--See 
also  Luke  24:  26. 

You  premise,  that  the  disciples,  on  the  two  days 
referred  to  above,  one  of  which  certainly  was,  and 
the  other  may  have  been,  the  first  day  of  the  week, 
had  met  together  for  public  or  social  worship,  when 


48  VINDICATION    OF    THE    TRUE    SABBATH. 

Christ  appeared  to  them.  Whence  you  infer,  that 
the  first  day  of  the  week  is  the  Sabbath. 

Now,  what  you  premise  seems  to  be  a  mere  as- 
sumption, for  which  there  is  not  a  shadow  of  proof, 
either  in  the  text  or  context.  No  one  of  the  Evan- 
gehsts  says  that  they  met  for  worship  ;  nor  did  they 
worship,  so  far  as  we  know,  when  met  together.  In 
regard  to  the  first  of  those  occasions,  we  are  told, 
that  they  "  were  assembled  for  fear  of  the  Jews  ;" 
and,  as  to  the  second,  we  are  simply  informed,  that 
they  "  were  within,"  which  means,  probably,  that 
they  were  at  home  ;  for  Luke  tells  us,  that,  on  the 
day  of  the  ascension,  the  eleven  "  abode"  in  an  upper 
room.     Acts  1  :  13. 

Again,  your  inference  is  not  necessary ;  for  the 
matter  may  be  explained  thus  :  On  the  day  of  the 
resurrection,  the  eleven,  having  procured  a  common 
lodging-room,  "assembled  for  fear  of  the  Jews;" 
and  Christ  appeared  to  them  before  the  close  of  the 
same  day,  in  order  that  they,  who  were  to  be  wit- 
nesses of  his  resurrection,  might  have  ocular  demon- 
stration of  the  fact,  that  he  rose  "  according  to  the 
scriptures."  On  the  other  occasion,  "  after  eight 
days,"  he  met  them,  prooably,  **  as  they  sat  atirieal," 
(Mark  16  :  14,)  because  Thomas,  who  had  not  seen 
him  since  his  resurrection,  was  then  with  them. 

These  reasons  are  surely  sufficient  to  account  for 
his  appearing  on  those  occasions.  But  why  demand 
reasons  at  all  ]  Had  he  not  a  right  to  meet  his  dis- 
ciples on  any  day  of  the  week  that  he  chose,  with- 
out telling  us  why]  Can  you  tell  us  why  he  ap- 
peared to  the  brethren  when  they  were  fishing  \ 
Christ  has  done  many  things  for  which  the  only  rea- 
son we  can  give  is,  that  it  seemed  good  to  him. 

YOUR    FOURTH    PROOF. 

Acts  2 :  1 — "  And  when  the  day  of  Pentecost  was  fully  come* 
they  were  aU  with  one  accord  in  one  place." 


FOURTH    REASON.  49 

Your  premises  are — 1.  That  the  Feast  of  Pente- 
cost fell  that  year  on  the  first  day  of  the  week.  2. 
That  the  disciples  were,  Jhr  that  reason,  with  one  ac- 
cord in  one  place."  Whence  you  infer,  that  the 
first  day  of  the  week  is  the  Sabbath.     I  reply — 

Whether  the  Feast  of  Pentecost  fell  that  year  on 
the  first  day  of  the  week,  or.  not,  the  disciples  did 
not  meet  to  keep  the  Sabbath,  but  to  celebrate  Pen- 
tecost. They  would  have  been,  in  like  manner 
"  with  one  accord  in  one  place,"  if  it  had  been  the 
fourth  day  of  the  week,  because  it  was  the  day  of 
Pentecost.  Therefore,  your  inference  is  not  only 
unnecessary y  but  wholly  inadmissible. 

YOUR    FIFTH  PROOF. 

Acts  20:  7 — "And  upon  the  first  day  of  the  week,  when 
the  disciples  came  together  to  breuk  bread,  Paul  preached  un- 
to them,  ready  to  depart  on  the  morrow;  and  continued  his 
speech  until  midnight." 

You  premise,  that  the  disciples  came  together,  in 
this  instance,  to  celebrate  the  Lord's  Supper,  and 
to  hear  the  word.  Whence  you  infer,  that  the  first 
day  of  the  week  is  the  Sabbath. 

Whv?t  yi?a  premise  13  very  imcertain  ;  for-- 

1.  There  is  no  evidence  that  they  met  to  hearths 
word.  The  object  of  the  meeting  was  "  to  break 
bread  ;"  and  the  preaching  of  Paul  seems  to  have 
been  incidental,  and  not  by  appointment. 

2.  It  is  not  certain  that  "  to  break  bread"  meant 
to  partake  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  The  Greek  word, 
translated,  to  break,  is  used  very  often  in  the  New 
Testament  in  reference  to  ordinary  meals.  An  in- 
stance occurs  in  Luke  24 :  35 — "  And  they  told 
what  things  were  done  in  the  way,  and  how  he  was 
known  of  them  in  breaking  of  breads 

But  if  what  you  assert  were  true,  your  inference 
is  not  necessary  ;  for — 

1.  It  is  entirely  proper,  for  aught  we  know  to  the 


'50  VINDICATION    OF    THE    TRUE    SABBATII. 

contrary,  to  celebrate  the  Lord's  Supper  and  hear 
preaching  on  any  day  of  the  week. 

2.  Perhaps  this  meeting  was  held  at  that  particu- 
lar time,  because  the  Apostle  and  his  company  were 
"  ready  to  depart  on  the  morrow."  It  was  proba- 
bly a  farewell  meeting,  as  many  learned  men  think, 
and  the  text  itself  seems  to  hint. 

3.  There  is  not  one  word  said  in  the  text  about 
Sabbath-keeping  ;  nor  is  there  the  least  intimation, 
either  in  the  text  or  context,  that  the  disciples  were 
accustomed  to  meet  on  the  first  day  of  the  week  for 
any  purpose  whatever. 

But  you  say,  Paul  waited  there  seven  days,  and 
we  have  no  account  of  his  preaching  till  the  last 
night  of  his  stay,  which  was  the  first  of  the  week. 
We  reply.  This  is  no  evidence  that  he  did  not  preach 
during  the  other  six  days.  Luke  tells  us,  in  this 
same  chapter,  verses  2  and  3,  that  "  he  came  into 
Greece,  and  there  abode  three  months  ;"  and  he 
does  not  say  that  he  preached  once  during  that  time. 
But  a  small  part,  indeed,  of  the  doings  of  the  Apostles 
is  recorded. 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that  this  text,  which  is  the 
only  one  in  the  New  Testament  that  speaks  of  pub- 
lic religious  exercises  on  the  first  day  of  the  week, 
is,  at  the  same  time,  the  only  one  in  the  Bible  that 
directly  proves,  that  this  day  is  not  the  Sabbath.  1 
have  already  proposed  to  give  up  the  argument  in 
favor  of  the  seventh  day,  if  you  produce  one  apos- 
tolic exam[)le  of  unnecessary  labor  performed  there- 
in. Will  you  give  up  your  argument  for  the  first 
day  on  the  same  condition  ?  I  believe  this  verse 
furnishes  such  an  example. 

The  text  proves  nothing  for  you,  if  Paul's  sermon 
and  the  breaking  of  bread  were  not  on  the  first  day. 
The   sermon  was  preached  between   evening  and 


FOURTH     REASON.  51 

midnight,  and  the  bread  was  broken  between  raid- 
night  and  break  of  day,  and  then  Paul  set  out  on 
his  journey.  According  to  .the  Roman  method  of 
computing  time,  the  breaking  of  bread,  at  least,  was 
in  the  morning  of  the  same  day  in  which  Paul  tra- 
veled from  Troas  to  Assos,  and  thence  to  Mitylene ; 
and,  according  to  the  Jewish  method,  the  sermon,  the 
breaking  of  bread,  and  the  journey  from  Troas  to 
Mitylene,  were  all  within  the  compass  of  the  same 
"  first  day  of  the  week."  That  Luke  should  follow 
the  unnatural  Roman  method,  is  so  unlikely  as  hard- 
ly to  be  supposable.  Now,  if  Paul  traveled  unne- 
cessarily from  Troas  to  Mitylene,  as  it  seems  he  did, 
on  the  first  day  of  the  week,  surely  that  day  was  not 
then  the  Sabbath  of  the  fourth  commandment.  This 
text,  there^ove,  proves  positively  that  the  first  day  is 
not  the  Sahhath,  on  which  account  it  is  of  no  little 
value  in  this  controversy. 

YOUR    SIXTH    PROOF. 

1  Corinthians  16 :  2--"Upon  the  first  day  of  the  week,  let  every 
one  of  you  lay  by  him  in  store,  as  God  hath  prospered  him, 
that  there  be  no  gatherings  when  I  come." 

Your  premises  are — 1.  That  the  Apostle  here  com- 
mands the  Corinthians  to  make  public  collections 
on  the  first  day  of  the  week.  2.  That,  therefore, 
public  assemblies  were  accustomed  to  be  held  on 
that  day.  Whence  you  infer,  that  the  first  day  of 
the  week  is  the  Sabbath. 

I  deny  both  your  premises.  The  apostle  simply 
orders,  that  each  one  of  the  Corinthian  brethren 
should  lay  up  at  home  some  portion  of  his  weekly 
gains  on  the  first  day  of  the  week.  The  whole 
question  turns  upon  the  meaning  of  the  expression, 
"by  him;"  and  I  marvel  greatly  how  you  can 
imagine  that  it  means  *'  in  the  collection  box  of  the 
congregation."     Greenfield,  in  his   Lexicon,  trans- 


52  VINDICATION    OF    THE    TRUE    SABBATH. 

lates  the  Greek  term,  *'  by  one's  self,  i.  e.  at  home.** 
Two  Latin  versions,  the  Vulgate  and  that  of  Cas- 
tellio,  render  it,  "  ajmd  se,"  with  one's  self,  at  home. 
Three  French  translations,  those  of  Martin,  Oster- 
wald,  and  De  Sacy,  "  chez  soi,"  at  his  own  house, 
at  home.  The  German  of  Luther,  "  heisich  selbst,'" 
by  nimself,  at  home.  The  Dutch,  "  by  hemselven,'' 
same  as  the  German.  The  Italian  of  Diodati  "  ap- 
presso  di  se,"  in  his  own  presence,  at  home.  The 
Spanish  of  Felipe  Scio,  "  en  su  casa,"  in  his  own 
house.  The  Portuguese  of  Ferreira,  "  para  isso,'- 
with  himself  The  Swedish,  "  ncsr  sig  sielf  near 
himself.  I  know  not  how  much  this  list  of  authori- 
ties might  be  swelled,  for  I  have  not  examined  one 
translation  that  differs  from  those  quoted  above. 
Now,  if  your  premises  are  false,  your  inference  is 
not  only  unnecessary,  but  wholly  inadmissible. 

TOUR    SEVENTH    PROOF 

Revelations  1 :  10—"  I  was  in  the  spirit  on  the  Lord's  day." 

You  premise,  that  the  "  Lord's  day"  is  the  first 
day  of  the  week.  Whence  you  infer,  that  the  first 
day  of  the  week  is  the  Sabbath. 

You  here  assume  the  principal  point  in  dispute, 
namely,  that  God  has  appointed  the  first  day  of 
every  week  to  be  kept  in  commemoration  of  the  le- 
suiTection  of  Christ.  Is  every  Friday  the  "  Lord's 
day,' '  because  he  was  crucified  on  Friday  %  You 
answer,  No.  Is  every  Thursday  the  "  Lord's  day,*' 
because  he  ascended  on  Thursday  j  You  answer, 
No.  So,  when  you  ask.  Is  every  first  day  of  the 
week  the  "  Lord's  day,"  because  he  rose-  on  the 
first  day  %  I  answer,  No.  And  is  it  too  much  that  I 
should  ask  you  to  prove  your  assumption  %  I  have 
never  yet  met  with  an  attempt  to  prove  it. 

But,  were  this  even  proved,  your  inference  would 
not  be  necessary.  The  first  day  might  be  the  "  Lord's 


FOURTH    RKASOV.  53 

day,"  and  yet  not  the  Sabbath.  Wou-ld  t?he  bare 
mention  of  this  day  by  the  Apostle  John,  even  if  it 
were  certain  that  he  referred  to  the  first  day  of  the 
week,  repeal  or  alter  the  fourth  commandment  ? 
Certainly  not.  But  you  ask,  What  day  did  he  mean  1 
I  reply.  Most  probably  he  meant  the  seventh,  since 
we  know  from  several  scriptures  that  this  is  in  fact 
the  Lord's  day.  See  Nehemiah  9  :  14,  and.  Isaiah 
58  :  13.  But  you  ask  again.  Why  did  he  not  say 
"  the  Sabbath,"  if  he.  meant  it  ?  I  reply  by  asking 
you,  Why  did  he  not  say  "  the  first  day,"  if  he  meant 
it? 

Brethren,  who  can  say,  that,  from  any  or  all  of 
the  texts  commented  upon  above,  the  inference  is 
necessary,  that  the  first  day  of  the  week  is,  and  that 
the  seventh  is  not,  holy  1  But  this  is  precisely  what 
you  infer  from  them.  On  the  sole  authority  of  these 
passages,  together  with  that  one  in  which  Christ 
says,  that  he  is  "  Lord  of  the  Sabbath,"  you  have  no 
hesitation  in  afiirming  that  the  first  day  of  the  week 
is  the  very  Sabbath  day  spoken  of  in  the  fourth  com- 
mandment, and  that  the  seventh  day  of  the  week  is 
not  now  more  holy  than  any  other  ;  or,  in  other 
words,  that  the-  blessing  which  G  od  put  upon  it  in 
the  beginning,  (Gen.  2  :  21,)  has  been  taken  from 
it,  and  given  to  another  day.  AVhat !  because 
"  there  remaineth  a  sabbatism  to  the  people  of  God,' 
therefore  the  seventh  day  intist  have  ceased  to  be 
the  Sabbath  !  Because  "  we  will  be  glad  and  re- 
joice "  in  "the  day  which  the  Lord  hath  made," 
therefore  the  seventh  day  inust  have  ceased  to  be 
holy  !  Because  Christ  showed  himself  to  his  dis- 
ciples once  or  twice  on  the  first  day  of  the  week, 
therefore  the  seventh  day  cannot  be  the  Sabbath  ! 
Because  the  Pentecostal  effusion  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
happened  on  the  first  day  of  the  week,  as  is  clearly 
demonstrated  by  arithmetical   calculation,  therefore 


^4  VINDICATION    OF    THE    TRUE    SABBATH. 

the  seventh  day  cannot  claim  to  be  the  Sabbath  ! 
Because  the  disciples  met  once  "  to  break  bread  "  on 
the  first  day  of  the  week,  therefore  God  must  have 
unsanctified  the  seventh  day  !  Because  the  Corinth- 
ian and  Galatian  Christians  v\^ere  commanded  to 
"  lay  by  them  in  store  "  on  the  first  day  of  the  week, 
for  the  relief  of  the  poor  saints,  therefore  the  sev- 
enth day  can  he  nothing  more  than  a  working  day  ! 
Because  John  was  "  in  the  spirit  on  the  Lord's  day," 
therefore  the  seventh  day  cannot  be  "  the  Lord's 
day,"  as  it  used  to  be !  Because  Jesus  Christ  is 
"  Lord  of  the  Sabbath,"  and  has  the  light  to  change 
it,  or  even  to  annihilate  it,  (1)  therefore  the  seventh 
day  must  have  ceased  to  be  a  day  of  rest !  O  breth- 
ren, you  dare  not  say,  that  any  of  these  inferences 
flow  from  the  Scriptures  as  necessary  consequences. 
But  if  they  are  not  necessary  —  if  there  is  any  way 
of  avoiding  them,  without  doing  violence  either  to 
the  text  or  context  —  how  can  you  ask  me  to  believe 
that  the  first  day  is^  and  that  the  seventh  is  not^  holy  I 


CONCLUSION. 

"  The  Sabbath  was  made  for  man."  I  am  a  man  ; 
therefore,  the  Sabbath  was  made  for  me.  God  has 
blessed  and  sanctified  the  seventh  day  of  the  week, 
and  commanded  me  to  keep  it  holy^br  that  reason  ; 
therefore,  as  long  as  the  seventh  day  continues  to 
be  divinely  blessed  and  sanctified,  I  am  bound  to 
keep  it  holy.  But  it  is  nowhere  said  in  the  Bible 
that  God  has  removed  the  blessing  from  this  day,  or 
that  he  has  unsanctified  it.  You  say  so,  indeed ;  but 
you  are  neither  the  authors  nor  the  finishers  of  my 


CONCLUSION,  55 

faith  ;  nor  will  your  unsupported  assertion,  a  thou- 
sand times  repeated,  amount  to  a  divine  revelation. 
If  you  assert  that  it  is  the  will  of  God  that  I  should 
cease  to  regard  the  seventh  day  as  holy,  I  ask, 
Where  is  this  revealed  1  What  Prophet  or  Apos- 
tle has  said  so,  directly/  or  indirectly  ?  It  ie  not 
enough  for  you  to  answer,  that  the  first  day  has  been 
blessed  and  sanctified,  as  a  memorial  of  the  work  of 
redemption.  That  assertion,  if  it  were  true,  would 
not  prove  that  the  seventh  day  is  not  holy.  No, 
brethren,  your  own  conscience  must  tell  you,  that 
there  is  not  one  syllable  in  the  Bible  on  which  to 
ground  the  doctrine  that  God  has  unsanctijied  the 
seventh  day  of  the  week. 

But  one  of  your  ministers  has  told  me,  that  God 
did  not  bless  and  sanctify  any  particular  day  of  the 
week,  but  only  the  Sabbath  Institution.  To  this  I 
have  only  to  say,  **  Let  God  be  true,  and  every  man 
a  Har."  The  Holy  Ghost  says,  (Gen.  2  :  2,)  "  And 
God  blessed  the  seventh  day,  and  sanctified  it ;"  and 
again,  (Exod.  20  ;  11,)  *'  Wherefore  the  Lord  bless- 
ed the  Sabbath  day,  and  hallowed  it."  Now,  if  you 
assert,  with  these  scriptures  staring  you  in  the  face, 
that  God  never  blessed  and  sanctified  any  particu- 
lar day,  but  only  the  Sabbath  Institution,  do  you 
not  make  God  a  liar,  in  order  to  excuse  your  own 
rebellion  1  O  brethren,  I  perceive  that  these  texts 
are  an  eye-sore  to  you,  and  that  in  your  hearts  you 
wish  they  were  out  of  the  Bible.  If  you  loved 
them  you  would  not  flatly  contradict  them.  I  ap- 
peal to  your  own  consciousness,  is  it  not  your  great 
effort,  when  you  take  up  the  fourth  commandment, 
to  convince  yourselves  and  others,  that  God's  Spirit 
does  not  mean  what  he  says,  in  as  plain  language  as 
any  Sabbatarian  could  employ;  that  is,  that  'the  sev- 
enth day  is  the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord  thy  God.'  And, 
when  you  take  up  these  passages  in  the  New  Tes- 


56  VINDICATION    OF    THE    TRUE    SABBATH. 

lament,  which  have  been  considered  above,  do  you 
noL  labor  to  convince  yourselves,  that  the  same 
Spirit  does  mean  what  he  does  not  say ;  that  is,  that 
the  first  day  is  the  Sabbath  ? 

You  do  not  believe  that  what  God  says  a  dozen 
times,  or  more,  can  be  true  ;  but  you  are  sure,  mat 
what  he  does  not  say  even  once  is  infallibly  true  ;  and 
that  nothing  but  stupidity  or  scepticism  would  pre- 
sume to  doubt  it.     When  you  are  told  that  the  sev- 
enth day  is  the  Sabbath,  and  the  testimony  of  God's 
Spirit,  plainly  uttered  in   one   dozen  passages,  to- 
gether with  the  uniform  practice  of  the   church    as 
long  as  we  can  trace  the  inspired  history  of  the  Sab- 
bath, is  offered  in  proof  of  the   assertion,  you    shut 
your  eyes,  and  declare  that  you    can  see  nothing, 
and  that  all  this  proves  nothing.     But  when  you  tell 
me,  that  the  first  day  is,  and  that  the  seventh  is  not, 
the  Sabbath,  and  quote,  as  proof,  Acts  20  :   7,  and  a 
few  other  passages,  not  one  of  which  says  one  word 
about  the  Sabbath,  or  the  seventh  day,  or  a  day  of 
rest,  or  holy  time,  or  exercises    which    are   proper 
only  on  the  Sabbath,  you  affirm,  that  you  have  prov- 
ed your  position  beyond  all  doubt,  and  that  the  only 
reason  why  I  cannot  see   the    evidence   is  because 
the  vail  of  Judaism  is  over  my   eyes.     The  moral 
law  says,    "  The  seventh  day  is  the  Sabbath  :"  but 
you  say,  "  No,  the  seventh  day  is  not  the  Sabbath  ; 
you   do   not  understand    the   law;    you    mistake    its 
meaning."     Neither  that  law,  nor  any  other  in   the 
Bible,  says,  "  The   first  day  is  the   Sabbath."    Not- 
withstanding, you   dare   to   lift  up  your  hands,  and 
swear  by  the  living  God,  that  the   first   day   is  the 
Sabbath.     But  this   is  not   all.     Oh  !  that  it  were  ! 
The  Holy  Ghost  has   said,  not   only  in    the  record 
that  God  made   on,  Adam's   heart,  and  in  the  cove- 
nant of  works,  but  also   in  the  written  law  given  at 
Mount  Sinai,  and  in  several  other  passages  of  Scrip- 


COXCLLijION.  57 

ture,  "  The  seventh  clay  is  the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord 
thy  Grod."  But  you  have  repeatedly  sworn  by  the 
infinite,  eternal,  and  unchangeable  Jehovah,  that 
this  assertion  is  not  true — that  the  seventh  day  is 
not  the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord  our  God  —  that  it  is  a 
common  working  day.  Because  I  can  no  longer 
join  you  in  this  heaven-daring  oath,  you  have  de- 
clared me  unworthy  of  the  confidence  of  a  Christian 
people,  and  forbidden  me  to  perform  any  longer  the 
functions  of  a  missionary  of  the  cross.  You  have 
told  the  church,  that,  having  violated  my  ordination 
vows,  I  have  forfeited  my  ministry,  and  that  my  seat  at 
the  Lord's  table  is  vacant.  You  have  thus  flung 
upon  the  heedless  winds  the  mad-dog  cry  of  **  sus- 
pended minister,"  "  covenant-breaker,"  and  "  dis- 
turber of  the  church's  peace." 

But  think  not,  brethren,  beloved  in  the  Lord,  that 
the  treatment  which  I  have  received  at  your  hands 
shall  deter  me  from  proclaiming  what  I  believe  to 
be  God's  truth,  as  God  may  give  me  utterance. 
That  you  wish  to  do  what  is  right,  I  do  not  doubt. 
That  you  believe  you  do  God  Service  in  thrusting 
me  from  your  Christian  embraces,  is  evidenf-enough. 
That  many  of  you  love  me  yet,  and  pray  for  me,  I 
can  but  hope.  But  that  you  all  sin  in  not  search- 
ing the  Scriptures  daily  to  see  whether  these  things 
are  so,  I  do  firmly  believe. 

And  now,  brethren,  I  cannot  close  this  treatise 
without  uttering  a  word  of  warning  to  every  one  of 
you,  which  will,  I  fear,  be  very  generally  disregard- 
ed by  you.  Yet  "  wo  is  me"  if  I  utter  it  not  !  Do 
not,  I  beseech  you,  be  angry  at  any  thing  I  have 
written,  or  refuse  to  hear  my  parting  words  because 
I  am  a  "  suspended  minister."  You  have  loaded 
me  with  reproach,  not  because  I  have  committed 
any  crime,  but  because  I  have  plead  for  the  integri- 


58  VINDICATION    OF    THE    TRUE    SABBATH. 

ty  and  immutability  of  the  moral  law.  I  am  neither 
a  thief,  nor  a  murderer,  nor  a  robber  of  churches, 
but  I  do  most  firmly  believe,  that  the  seventh  day  is 
the  Sabbath  of  the  Lord  my  God,  and  that  you, 
and  all  others  who  do  not  keep  it  holy,  are  guilty 
before  God  of  a  gross  violation  of  the  moral  law. 
And  can  I,  under  those  circumstances,  regard  your 
reproaches  as  a  legitimate  expression  of  the  Divine 
displeasure  1  No.  That  I  am  really  unworthy  of 
the  gospel  ministry,  I  confess.  That  I  am  not  suffi- 
cient for  these  things,  I  know.  But,  after  having 
been  regularly  called  to  this  responsible  work,  I 
will  not  be  driven  from  it,  for  such  a  cause.  Know 
then,  ye  rulers  in  the  house  of  God,  that  I  am  still  a 
minister  of  Jesus  Christ,  sent  forth  to  proclaim  the 
terrors  of  God's  law  to  the  rebellious  and  impenitent, 
and  to  promise  the  grace  of  the  gospel  to  the  peni- 
tent and  believing.  Know  also,  ye  professors  of 
the  Christian  religion  who  neglect  the  sanctifica- 
tion  of  the  seventh  day,  and  especially  ye  ministers 
of  Jesus  who  "  teach  men  so,"  that  you  make  dark 
what  God  has  madp  plain ;  that  you  pluck  out  of  the 
hand  of  God's  schoolmaster  one  of  those  rods  where- 
with he  would  lash  the  carnal  heart;  that  you  hide 
one  of  God's  candles  under  a  bushel,  and  compass 
yourselves  about  with  sparks,  and.  a  fire  of  your 
own  kindling ;  that  you  provoke  the  Holy  Spirit,  in 
rejecting  his  testimony,  and  teaching  for  doctrine 
the  commandments  of  men.  Yes,  brethren,  though 
my  words  fall  upon  your  ears  as  an  idle  tale  that 
you  believe  not,  I  declare  to  you,  in  the  name  of 
Him  whom  your  doctrine  dishonors  and  your  phi- 
losophy insults  —  in  the  name  of  that  suspended 
Minister,  to  whom  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  shall 
look  for  salvation — that,  if  you  repent  not,  the  Holy 
Ghost  will  bear  witness  against  you,  in  the  awful 
day  of  retribution,  that  you  have  refused  his  words, 


CONCLUSION.  59 

and  that  you  have  "  put  darkness  for  light,  and  light 
for  darkness  ! " 

Think  not  that  I  am  your  enomy,  because  I  thus 
speak.  Think  not  that  I  have  no  confidence  in  your 
piety,  because  I  rebuke  you  sharply.  Think  not 
that  I  am  proud,  boastful,  and  self-confident,  because 
I  dare  to  approach  you^  who  are  vastly  my  superiors 
in  knowledge,  and  remind  you  of  your  duty.  I 
would  giadly  have  avoided  this  public  exhibition  of 
my  sentiments.  Had  it  been  possible  to  withhold 
my  testimony,  you  would  never  have  seen  these 
pages.  But  "necessity  is  laid  upon  me.'*  And 
think  not,  I  beseech  you,  that  I  am  against  the 
church  of  our  Redeemer,  or  would  hinder  her  pros- 
perity, because  I  oppose  a  human  institution  which 
Christians  very  generally  observe.  "  If  I  forget 
thee,  O  Jerusalem,  let  my  right  hand  forget  her 
cunning.  If  I  do  not  remember  thee,  let  my  tongue 
cleave  to  the  roof  of  my  mouth  ;  if  I  prefer  not  Je- 
rusalem above  my  chief  joy." 


